Rosewood battles Wayne Country Day to draw

By Ryan Hanchett
Published in Sports on September 23, 2008 1:18 PM

• Print
• Email

Two teams hungry for a victory were forced to settle for a tie as Rosewood battled Wayne Country Day to a 2-2 draw in boys' soccer on Monday afternoon.

"We wanted to get the win, but a tie isn't a bad thing for this team," said Chargers head coach Baron Heinemann. "We have had new guys coming in and playing new positions all season long, so gettting a tie shows then that they can compete."

The Eagles jumped in front in the 15th minute when Giovanni Mateos collected an errant Charger pass and booted it into the net.

Wayne Country Day tied the game in the 35th minute on a goal by Elliot Best.

Rosewood answered two minutes later when Connor Adams netted a second Eagle score off a deflection.

After halftime the intensity and physical play picked up.

Wayne Country Day controlled the pace early in the second half thanks to solid midfield play.

"Cameron Ford and Ryan Jackson were both very strong tonight," said Heinemann. "Cameron is a leader and an experienced player, and Ryan is a guy that hustles more than anybody else."

In the 45th minute, Ford's tenacity paid off when his long shot glanced off the left post and deflected into the net.

"We feel like we let one get away today," said Eagles head coach Daniel Mitchell. "To get ahead, and let it slip away twice is a little dissapointing."

As the rest of the second half clock ticked away, both teams tried to develop scoring opportunities.

The final scoring chance of the afternoon came in the 75th minute for Wayne Country Day when Hil Tanner's corner kick flew into the 18-yard box. Ford headed the ball toward the net, only to see the shot go just wide.

The Chargers outshot the Eagles 19-7.

After the draw was decided, Mitchell pointed out the strong play of keeper Will Grantham.

"I thought Will was very good today," said Mitchell. "He had a couple bobbles, but that was more due to the defense not hitting their marks than his mistake."

"We had a lot of chances, and that shows how well we played," said Heinemann. "We have to finish more of those chances."

Wayne Country Day (5-11-1 overall) visits Oakwood today for a Coastal Plains Independent 1-A conference clash.

Rosewood (0-5-2) will host North Lenoir on Thursday.