Chargers let one-goal lead slip away, fall to Knights, 4-1
By Ryan Hanchett
Published in Sports on March 28, 2012 1:49 PM
Wayne Country Day had its eye on an upset in the first half against archrival Greenfield.
The Knights ensured that the Chargers went home disappointed, scoring four goals after the intermission and claiming a 4-1 win on the Coastal Plains Independent 1-A Conference girls' soccer scene Tuesday afternoon.
"This is our first year in this rivalry as a coaching staff and I think we learned some things," Wayne Country Day assistant coach Tim Hall said. "I was proud of the girls' effort and I thought we gave everything we had."
Wayne Country Day jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the 25th minute when Karis Hawkins collected a pass from Sarah Best and fired a shot into the left side of the net.
The teams played back-and-forth until halftime when Greenfield regrouped.
With a more open offensive attack in place, the Knights created scoring chances early and often. Star forward Cameron Johnson tied the game at 1-1 in the 46th minute when she headed home a crossing pass from Blythe Parker.
Johnson and Parker connected again in the 51st minute as Johnson scored her second goal off a Parker cross. The junior forward completed a natural hat trick (three straight goals) when she collected a loose ball and fired it past the Charger keeper in the 55th minute.
Johnson added an assist to her resume in the 70th minute when she found Mary Love-Taylor in space for an easy goal which made the score 4-1 and ended any hope of a Wayne Country Day comeback.
"When (Greenfield) opened up their offense it really hurt us," Hall said. "They are a very good offensive team and we just could not find a way to contain them late in the game."
Both teams finished with eight shots on goal. Wayne Country Day keeper Bailee Creger tallied three saves.
Wayne Country Day (2-4-0 overall) plays host to Oakwood on Thursday.