West Brunswick West Brunswick shuts down Aycock, 1-0

By Andrew Stevens
Published in Sports on November 3, 2010 1:47 PM

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PIKEVILLE -- Charles B. Aycock has to be growing tired of this horror movie.

Scottie Melvin scored off a throw-in in the 71st minute as West Brunswick slipped past the Golden Falcons 1-0 on Tuesday night in the first round of the N.C. High School Athletic Association 3-A boys' soccer playoffs.

It was Aycock's third consecutive first-round playoff loss. The Golden Falcons have gone 52-11-3 in regular-season games during that stretch, while failing to advance in the postseason. Aycock's last playoff win came in 2007 when it reached the third round of the state playoffs for the first time in school history.

The Trojans were awarded a throw-in near midfield in the 71st minute. Melvin slipped past the Golden Falcons' defense, won the throw-in inside the 18-yard box and slipped it past Aycock keeper Brandon Davis. Fans immediately began arguing for an offsides call, but offsides does not apply on throw-ins.

"We just went to sleep," said Golden Falcons head coach Kevin Adkins. "Everybody just stood and watched. There's no offsides on a throw-in. We just let them get the goal. We just stood and watched the ball roll in between all of them. You beat yourself."

As the second half wore on, the tension began to mount and the quality of Aycock's scoring chances increased. Travis Musselman's bending shot off a corner kick in the 58th minute sailed just wide. In the 64th minute, the ball briefly got away from West Brunswick keeper Josh Upchurch and Chase Thompson was unable to collect it at the top of the 18-yard box for a potential scoring chance.

A header off Ronnie Person's deep throw-in in the 73rd minute went wide. Tyler Lynch's header off a pass from Musselman in the 75th minute was saved by Upchurch. Michael Fearney's shot from inside the 18-yard box was just wide in the 78th minute. The Golden Falcons finished with eight shots on goal.

"When you only score 50 goals all year and you give up 24, it's slim pickings when you get an opportunity," said Adkins. "We didn't put our chances away."

The Trojans just missed scoring in the 20th minute when a header off a corner kick hit the crossbar.

Davis recorded eight saves in the final game of his high school soccer career.

"Brandon, over the four years, has just been outstanding," said Adkins, whose team finished 16-7-2 overall. "He could go to a small college and play anywhere in the country."