Crowe, Best combine to lift Chargers past RMA

By Gabe Whisnant
Published in Sports on April 14, 2006 1:58 PM

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Wayne Country Day's Georgia Crowe and Virginia Best scored two goals in merely three minutes as the Chargers claimed a 3-2 win at home over Rocky Mount Academy on Thursday afternoon.

WCDS (8-5 overall) improved to 4-2 in the Coastal Plains Independent 1-A/2-A Conference with the win. The Eagles (3-10 overall) slipped to 1-5 in league play.

Fifteen minutes into the game, WCDS tallied the lone goal in the first half as a centering pass from the left wing by Best caromed off an RMA defender and into the net to make it 1-0.

Neither team developed much of an attack, especially in the first half, as most of the play was limited to the middle-third of the field. To the dismay of WCDS coach Paul Estrada, the Eagles won a majority of the loose balls -- both out of the air and on the ground -- in the first half.

Early in the second half, Rocky Mount Academy's Elaine Holland, who scored both of her teams goals, received a pass from the midfield on the left wing. Holland took several dribbles, then scored back post against Charger goalie Ellen Elmore to make it 1-1, 12 minutes into the second half.

From there, the WCDS midfield and defense did a more consistent job of limiting the visitors' chances in the box.

"We wanted to be more aggressive on the ball," Estrada said. "We thought if we could be more aggressive in the second half, we could beat them. We're starting to gel a little more as a team and it's starting to show."

Crowe put the Chargers ahead for good with five minutes left -- booting in a direct kick from just outside the 18-yard box and over the head of RMA goalie Cade Thorne to give her team a 2-1 lead.

Three minutes later, Crowe beat a defender at the top of the box, then passed to her left to Best, who outraced Thorne to the loose ball. Best swiftly tapped the ball around Thorne, then scored into an empty net to push the score to 3-1.

"We've lost so many close games like this. When we get in situations like this, we just don't know how to win yet," Eagles' coach Jamie Estes said. "I don't know why we have a trouble with consistent effort."

Best's goal proved to be crucial as Holland got behind the WCDS defense and pulled her team within one with 30 seconds left. But the Eagles wouldn't threaten again as the Chargers held on for the CPIC win.

After spring break, WCDS returns to action on April 25 at home against Greenfield School.