Wayne Christian strikes early, cruises past Lee Christian

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on September 24, 2014 1:48 PM

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rcoggins@newsargus.com

Wayne Christian is becoming a dangerous team.

A young group with untapped potential has posted a 4-1 worksheet in its last five outings. That frustrating 0-5 start is now a distant memory.

"They're starting to play together as a team," WCS head coach Daryl Anderson said.

That was evident on a cold, rainy Tuesday afternoon.

Four Eagles scratched in the scoring column and cruised to a 5-2 victory over Lee Christian on the Carolina Christian 1-A Conference boys' soccer scene. Wayne Christian (4-6-0 overall) climbed to 4-1-0 against league opposition this season.

The Falcons (3-6-1) departed 2-3-0 in CCC play.

Wayne Christian controlled the tempo from the opening kickoff and needed just 90 seconds to punch in the first goal. Freshman Jaxon Anderson picked up a loose ball outside the 18, dribbled into the box and ripped a one-touch shot past Lee Christian goalie Brent Godfrey.

"I thought we started a little slow because the game was actually faster than I wanted it to be," coach Anderson said. "About 10 or 15 minutes in, you could see us settle down and start to play our game."

Ball possession became the Eagles' best ally.

They constantly disrupted the Falcons' passing attack and pushed forward to create chances on goal. Godfrey stayed busy between the pipes as the rain-soaked pitch caused balls to skip in odd directions.

Wayne Christian struck again in the 27th minute.

Austin Howell collected a loose ball about 25 yards out, made a one-touch pass to Holden Foster. Godfrey came off his line to challenge and Foster easily tucked it away for his team-leading 10th goal of the season.

"We didn't have much possession in the first half," said LC head coach TJ Beauchemin, who graduated eight seniors from a year ago. "I have just four guys who have played soccer before. Our possession was better in the second, we had better movement and moved the ball around."

But the Falcons couldn't finish inside the 18.

Meanwhile, the Eagles increased their advantage to 4-0 on Skyler Price and Jaxon Anderson. Price took the ball away from a Lee Christian defender who failed to clear it inside the penalty area.

Coach Anderson used more substitutes in the second half, which caused some chemistry issues. Lee Christian closed the deficit in half, 4-2, on an own goal (a deflection in the box) and an unassisted shot from Alston Roberts.

"Yeah, I messed up the team chemistry a little bit," Anderson said. "I wanted to get the younger guys into the game because they haven't played much this season. But I thought they did a good job."

Matt Coulter capped Wayne Christian's 5-goal output with an unassisted goal in the 71st minute. The Eagles led 14-6 in shots. WCS keeper Chandler King recorded four saves.