A little bit of luck sends Kierski, Wayne Country Day to second round

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on October 18, 2014 11:57 PM

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rcoggins@newsargus.com

Sheer luck.

But Matt Kierski and his Wayne Country Day teammates will certainly take it.

Kierski's rebound shot on a free kick in the 56th minute lifted the fifth-seeded Chargers past Neuse Christian, 2-1, in opening-round action of the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association 1-A boys' soccer playoffs Friday afternoon.

WCDS (13-6-1 overall) travels to fourth-seeded and nemesis Greenfield (11-10-0) for a quarterfinal-round match Tuesday.

"We had beaten them (Neuse) earlier and it was a pretty easy game, plus if we won this we'd play Greenfield on Tuesday, so we were probably overlooking this game," Kierski said. "There was a lack of intensity (in the first half) and I don't think a lot of us were focused."

And the Chargers couldn't solve a brilliant formation constructed by the 12th-seeded Lions. After dropping a five-goal decision to WCDS on Sept. 11, Neuse Christian employed a five-man backline -- led by tri-captain and sweeper Luke Adams -- in the final defensive third of the field.

WCDS never found an open seam and couldn't get any touches for its leading scorer, Tony Townsend, who entered the game with 42 points -- 18 goals and six assists.

The scheme induced numerous shots outside the 18-yard box that either deflected off of a Neuse defender or sailed wide of the goalposts. Lions keeper Matt Talbert logged 10 saves between the pipes.

"They only had one up top, so it worked," Adams said as he and a teammate walked toward their bus after the loss.

The only thing that worked for the Chargers were set pieces. Hunter Bryson curled a goal-scoring free kick around a five-man wall just 11 minutes into the opening half.

Neuse answered three minutes later when tri-captain Mark Meinhart headed in a cross from the left corner.

"Coach (Steve Ellis) got us re-focused at halftime," Kierski said.

Wayne Country Day controlled the tempo, organized from the back and worked the ball through the midfield to the sidelines. The tactical plan stretched Neuse Christian's defense and created 15 shots on goal.

But Kierski connected on the one that mattered the most.

Teammate Noah Adkins drew a hard foul just outside the box and Ellis instructed Bryson to take the free kick. Bryson's shot, again, curled around the wall and Talbert made a diving glove save.

Kierski crashed the goal and his one-touch shot bounced inside the near post to make it 2-1. It was his seventh goal of the season.

"It was just a lot of luck ... was there at the right time to put it in," Kierski said.

Facing elimination, the Lions (6-9-0) applied more pressure and changed the momentum in the final 10 minutes. Wayne Country Day keeper Patrick Hall logged back-to-back saves on point-blank shots during a two-minute span.

Minutes later, he left the goal empty when he attempted to smother a ball dangerously close to Meinhart's cleat outside the box. The Chargers' backline defense cleared the ball.

"I don't know what I was thinking," Hall said. "I thought if I had gotten the ball with my hands, it would have been a handball, so I tried to kick it and it didn't work out that well."

The Lions threatened to force overtime in the final 30 seconds, but came up empty.