EW-Triton

By Andrew Stevens
Published in Sports on April 20, 2010 1:46 PM

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Facing a Triton team not known for its offensive prowess, Eastern Wayne stayed patient, yet aggressive.

The Warriors took advantage of a 16-2 edge in shots on goal and earned a 4-0, Eastern Carolina 3-A Conference win on Monday night in New Hope.

Eastern Wayne didn't get flustered, despite failing to convert on five corner kick opportunities in the first 30 minutes.

Brandi Dean stole the ball from a Hawks' defender inside the 18-yard box and fired a shot on goal that clanged off the crossbar. Dean gathered the rebound and buried it in the back of the net to give the Warriors a 1-0 lead in the 36th minute.

Moments later, Lindsay Underwood's corner kick rolled through the six-yard box without ever touching a Triton defender and found its way into the goal. Eastern Wayne tallied seven corners in the first half and led 2-0 at intermission.

"There was no imminent danger but we found ourselves in a lot of matchups that I did not like," said Warriors head coach Jorg Wagner. "We found ourselves with midfielders behind our backs not exactly knowing where to go.

"Triton defensively played very intelligently I thought. I think we were able to put pressure on them with our dead balls."

Early in the second half, Eastern Wayne (8-4-0 overall, 6-0-0 ECC) appeared to be a bit scattered defensively, but regained its shape over the final 20 minutes.

"We started to organize relatively better," said Wagner. "We're hoping to get our regular center Deborah Doran back by tomorrow. We were standing too deep from the center back position. With the type of style that they play ... it was a matter of communicating better."

Dean scored her area-leading 17th goal of the season in the 61st minute as she gathered up a loose ball that was bobbled by the Triton keeper and scored to extend the lead to 3-0.

Lilly Herlihy capped the scoring in the 70th minute with a header from inside the 18-yard box into the top right corner of the goal. The Warriors finished with a 12-0 advantage in corners.

Eastern Wayne entertains Charles B. Aycock on Wednesday.