Wayne Christian gets decisive goal in 72nd minute

By Ryan Hanchett
Published in Sports on August 18, 2010 1:47 PM

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Wayne Christian survived a stagnant first half and tallied two late goals en route to a 2-1 victory over county rival Wayne Country Day on Tuesday.

Neither team could get any offense going during the first 40 minutes. Scorching temperatures and shaky offense marked the opening half as Wayne Christian tallied a 10-3 advantage in shots, but failed to finish.

In the 48th minute Gregory Alexander got the home team on the board with a blind shot that found the mark. Alexander collected the ball 30 yards from the net and tried to move into the center of the field. As his foot slipped out from under him, Alexander fired a wild shot that hooked past the Charger goalie and into the back of the net.

"We were kind of fortunate that the first ball ended up being perfectly placed," said Wayne Christian head coach Darryl Anderson. "It wasn't the highest-percentage shot, but it hit the net and that's all that counts."

Wayne Country Day answered eight minutes later.

Cody Neal fired a high shot that floated slowly toward the Wayne Christian net. With the keeper distracted by Tyson Pearson rushing toward the net, Neal's shot snuck just under the crossbar and tied the game at 1-1.

"I was relatively pleased with my guys for it being the first game," said Wayne Country Day head coach Michael Taylor. "We had some guys that looked nervous early and got out of position, but I thought we did a much better job in the second half."

The score remained tied until the 72nd minute when the Eagles notched the game winner.

Chase Darden collected a crossing pass from Alexander and promptly deposited the ball in the back of the net. The Eagles' defense made the one-goal advantage stand up until the final whistle.

"We have been working the last few days on finishing close to the net and today it paid off," said Anderson. "It's good to come out and get the first win against a team that we are pretty even with."

Wayne Christian finished with a 15-8 advantage in shots on goal.

The Eagles (1-0-0 overall) travels to Cresset Christian on Friday, while WCDS (0-1-0) is the guest of Greenville Christian.