CB Aycock outlasts Eastern Wayne

By Andrew Stevens
Published in Sports on October 27, 2009 1:46 PM

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PIKEVILLE -- Even good teams have to find a way to create their own luck every now and then.

Charles B. Aycock overcame some offensive woes and got a late goal in a 1-0 win over Eastern Wayne on Monday night in the semifinals of the Eastern Carolina 3-A Conference boys' soccer tournament.

The second-seeded Golden Falcons seek their fifth straight ECC tournament championship at home Wednesday against Triton. The fourth-seeded Hawks stunned South Johnston 2-1, winning 5-4 in a penalty-kick shootout.

Kickoff is 7 p.m.

Aycock finished with a 16-5 advantage in shots on goal, but struggled all night to capitalize on scoring opportunities against the third-seeded Warriors.

Those woes all went out the window in the 74th minute when Travis Musselman's long-range shot slipped through the hands of Warriors keeper Joseph DiCesare and rolled into the goal.

"We just got a lucky goal," said Golden Falcons head coach Kevin Adkins. "I think it's just like any sport if the ball drops right in golf or you tip the ball in basketball and it goes in. We've had a little bit of luck this year."

Aycock (16-3-1 overall) failed to convert corner kicks in the 46th and the 74th minutes. Juan Pina's deflection off a throw-in in the 59th minute was turned away on a diving save by DiCesare. DiCesare made a stop on Jose Rodriguez's shot in the 73rd minute.

"We just cannot put the ball away," said Adkins. "We've had our shots. We don't have a key striker and everybody knows that. We just have to work towards what we can get."

After tallying just one shot on goal in the first half, Eastern Wayne began to find its rhythm offensively in the final 40 minutes. The Warriors earned corner kicks in the 51st and 70th minutes.

Eastern Wayne (9-10-1) looked momentarily as if it would have an opportunity to take the lead after Leslie Cox appeared to be tackled inside the 18-yard box in the 71st minute. However, no penalty kick was awarded.

"In the second half we were able to open it up a little bit, and we pushed some people forward and tried to create some stuff," said Warriors head coach Jorg Wagner. "I thought Leslie had a fantastic chance taken away. I certainly thought so and Leslie knew so. I told the guys even calls that might have to go under review in another league that's not what decides the game."

The Golden Falcons had a 9-1 shots on goal edge in the first half and a 3-0 edge in corner kicks. DiCesare made seven saves in the first half and 11 for the game. Davis recorded five saves.