Trojans shut out Golden Falcons

By Ryan Hanchett
Published in Sports on October 7, 2010 1:47 PM

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PIKEVILLE -- There can only be one aggressor in any head-to-head contest.

South Johnston laid claim to that title during its Eastern Carolina 3-A Conference soccer tilt with C.B. Aycock on Wednesday night. The Trojans scored twice early and walked off with a 3-0 victory at Hardy Talton Stadium.

South Johnston, the reigning ECC champ, grabbed a two-game advantage over the Golden Falcons in the standings.

The Trojans delivered most of the punishment in an extremely physical game.

"This team has a completely different identity than last season," said South Johnston head coach Dave Shaler. "Last year we were fast and shifty, but now we have some bigger guys and some stronger guys so we have to take advantage of that."

The Trojans got on the scoreboard in the 21st minute when Mario Monica flicked a header into the net off a perfect throw-in by Derek Brewington. In the 34th minute, an almost identical scenario unfolded as Brewington threw the ball in from the sideline and watched as the pass fell at the foot of Brean Lama.

Without hesitation, Lama buried the shot into the low left corner of the net.

"We gave up two goals in the first half and really both of them were lapses on our part," said C.B. Aycock head coach Kevin Adkins said. "South Johnston is a good team and they kept the pressure on once they got the lead."

The Golden Falcons (10-4-1 overall) opened the second half with renewed enthusiasm and earned a pair of shots in the early minutes but watched as one attempt was saved and the other sailed wide.

South Johnston regained focus on its defensive game and tried to run out the clock. As the Golden Falcons got more aggressive, the Trojans took advantage for a game-clinching marker. David Collins collected a long pass from Lama and threaded the ball into the net.

South Johnston finished with 10 shots, compared to just six for C.B. Aycock. Brandon Davis finished with seven saves for the Golden Falcons.

The Trojans improved to 7-0-1 in league play, while the Golden Falcons fell to 5-2-1.

"We have to get together and refocus on making the playoffs," said Adkins. "We have a couple big games left and we need to play well so we can lock up second place."

C.B. Aycock entertains Wilson Beddingfield today.