CBA drops Hunt 5-1

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on September 26, 2006 2:32 PM

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PIKEVILLE -- Seconds before kickoff against Wilson Hunt on Monday evening, the Charles B. Aycock men's soccer team received an unexpected result. A late-arriving linesman delivered the news of Eastern Wayne's one-goal loss at Wilson Beddingfield.

Obviously shocked by the score, Golden Falcons assistant coach Byron Adkins reminded his team that "there is no bigger game than this" before it stepped onto the Hardy Talton Stadium pitch.

Then Aycock took care of business.

Jorge Delgado notched back-to-back goals within a 13-minute stretch as the Golden Falcons recorded a convincing 5-1 victory over the Warriors. Aycock (8-1-1) seized sole possession of the Class 3-A Eastern Carolina Conference race at 3-0, while Hunt (6-4-2) departed with a 2-1 league worksheet.

"With Eastern Wayne losing, I put it on the boys that if you lose tonight, there is not a conference title in our future," said Adkins. "They came out and played the best soccer I've seen since I've been here at Aycock.

"We passed the ball and our finishing was excellent tonight."

Aycock utilized a 4-5-1 system that provided dividends throughout the 80 minutes. The Golden Falcons, the reigning ECC regular-season and tournament champions, got great distribution from Alex Rodriguez in the midfield. He played several outlet balls to Delgado, whose quickness up top continuously bothered a trio of Warrior defenders.

The strategy worked perfectly. The Golden Falcons collected two goals in the flow of play and added two more off set pieces. Delgado boosted his season total to 19 with marks in the 28th and 39th minutes.

"We were not as disciplined as they were defensively and they did a great job of getting their shape back," said Hunt coach Scott Wofford. "The teams we've played so far have not been as disciplined as these guys. They made us second-guess what we were trying to do.

"That delay made it worse for us. We've got good marking backs and we were letting them do what they needed to (offensively)."

The Golden Falcons constantly worked the ball down the sidelines and looked for Delgado on every possession. Delgado misfired on his first three shots on goal, but got offensive support from Rich Holder and Alex Roosen during a three-minute span.

Holder received a pass from Andrew Musselman and ripped a shot that clanged off the crossbar. Hunt keeper Jonas Dewald tried to make the glove save, but the ball deflected off his back and into the net.

Roosen converted an indirect kick in the 22nd minute to give Aycock a 2-0 advantage.

"Their offensive talent really made us pay for those (defensive) mistakes and got us in a big hole we couldn't get out of," said Wofford.

Delgado's first goal occurred after a Hunt defender attempted a slide tackle that momentarily knocked Delgado off his feet. He got up, regained control of the ball and blasted a low shot to the right corner.

Holder assisted on Delgado's second goal just seconds before halftime. His crossing shot easily landed at Delgado's feet.

After beating his lone defender for control of the ball in the penalty area, Delgado drew Dewald off his line and tucked a beautiful shot away inside the far post.

"Everything was working tonight," said Adkins.

Aycock's defense constantly clogged the middle and didn't give Hunt a clear avenue to the goal all evening. The Warriors changed their offensive tactics at halftime and finished with 10 shots on goal. Junior Jeffrey Reardon denied the Golden Falcons' shutout bid with a goal in the 79th minute.

Keeper Jared Kennedy registered five saves for Aycock, which earned its first-ever home victory against Hunt.

"We're in the driver's seat, but we've got to go to Eastern Wayne on Wednesday," said Adkins.

"Squeezing out a win against our crosstown rival is always hard."

Notes: Co-captain Carson Sasser concluded Aycock's scoring on a direct kick midway through the second half. ... The Golden Falcons owned a 15-10 edge in shots on goal. ... The Warriors lead the all-time series 9-3, but are just 1-3 against Aycock since the ECC's new realignment for 2005-06. ... Aycock has outscored the opposition 43-16 in 10 outings.