Wayne Country Day advances in soccer playoffs

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on October 24, 2009 11:53 PM

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Slow and steady wins the race.

In Wayne Country Day's case, the strategy led to solid offensive production Friday afternoon.

Junior forward Tyson Pearson collected two goals and an assist during the Chargers' opening-round, 4-0 decision over Cape Fear Christian in the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association 1-A soccer playoffs. Wayne Country Day (13-6-1 overall) continues play Tuesday at second-seeded United Faith Christian, which entered the postseason as the state's No. 1-ranked team.

"Today we were able to score ... nice, small goals inside the 18, which is something we've been working on," said Chargers head coach Michael Taylor. "I still want to see more consistency in there, but we were able to finish today. We played more aggressive and with more heart.

"We came out with more fire."

And seized control early in the first minute.

Pearson collected a ball in the midfield and crossed to Stoan Stewart, who made a great run down the left side. Stewart headed the ball toward the upper right 90 and gave WCDS a 1-0 lead.

"That really set the tone," said Taylor.

The Chargers controlled possession for three-quarters of the opening half and owned a 16-1 edge in shots. Pearson received a centering pass from senior co-captain Cameron Ford and tucked it away for a 2-0 advantage.

Pearson scored again in the 61st minute off Hil Tanner's cross from the right side. Senior midfielder Tanner Pate capped the Chargers' scoring with an unassisted goal around the 73rd minute.

WCDS won for just the second time in its last five outings, which included three shutout losses against Coastal Plains Independent Conference teams during a 10-day stretch.

"The strength of our conference you saw today because that competition really helps out a lot," said Taylor. "That's been in the back of my mind and the back of the boys' minds, too. We lost two games that we should have won because I felt like we out-played those two teams.

"We took care of business and the guys were hungry for win."

Keepers Cody Neal and Zach Brewer-Kirby combined for the Chargers' ninth shutout of the season.