Dean, Lemmon lead Warriors

By Andrew Stevens
Published in Sports on March 21, 2008 1:49 PM

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PIKEVILLE -- Rarely does one player completely alter a team's identity.

Then again, few players possess Brandi Dean's speed.

The sophomore returned to the pitch Thursday evening and helped Eastern Wayne dominate possession in a 3-0 victory over Class 3-A Eastern Carolina Conference rival Charles B. Aycock.

The Warriors controlled play from the outset and created scoring opportunities on a pair of corner kicks in the sixth minute. Dean finally struck in the 15th minute, slipping a loose ball in the box past Aycock keeper Courtney Sheeks.

"That first goal was definitely a lapse," Golden Falcons head coach Tom Zietlow said. "That's just a ball sitting in the crease for too long. Any good team is going to put that ball in."

Eastern Wayne (4-3, 3-1 ECC) was held scoreless the remainder of the first half, but managed to keep Aycock's defense busy. With Dean using her speed to keep pressure on the defense, the Warriors tallied five shots and six corners in the first 40 minutes.

"In my estimation and I don't know because I haven't seen all the teams yet, but Brandi is probably the fastest player," Eastern Wayne head coach Jorg Wagner said. "Head-to-head she's always dangerous."

Dean continued to harass the Golden Falcons (2-5, 1-3 ECC) and her shot in the 49th minute sailed just wide. Crystal Lemmon sent a pass through the box that Dean tucked into the back of the net in the 54th minute for a 2-0 advantage.

Dean and Lemmon connected again in the 59th minute, but Dean's blast clanged off the right post. One minute later, Dean fed Lemmon for the Warriors' final goal of the ballgame.

"Brandi and Crystal are starting to work well together," Wagner said. "I think you have to credit our defensive play today. There was nothing dangerous today as far as nothing pounding off the crossbar or something close one-on-one.

"We must have won 90 to 95 percent of the one-on-one's and that was our goal."

Aycock struggled to consistently push the ball into Eastern Wayne territory all night. The Golden Falcons were outshot 11-0 and tallied just one corner kick to Eastern Wayne's eight.

"That's been a problem for us all year," Zietlow said. "Eastern Wayne took control real fast. When we got it in their zone, their defensive players were so aggressive that they would come out and get it.

"We couldn't quite get any opportunities. It's just the story of our year. Our defense just has to play so long."