Charger Cup: Wayne Country Day 6, Wayne Christian 0

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on August 14, 2015 1:48 PM

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rcoggins@newsargus.com

Wayne Country Day earned a throw-in and strung together five consecutive passes as it pushed the ball toward Wayne Christian's goal on Thursday afternoon.

The Chargers misfired on their initial shot.

But it was a sign of things to come.

Sophomore Benjamin Cohen scored in the second minute and added another goal in the 47th minute as Wayne Country Day upended Wayne Christian, 6-0, on day one of the inaugural Charger Cup.

It was the season opener for both teams.

Play continues today on the Chargers' pitch as defending state 1-A champ Hickory Christian (1-0-0 overall) faces Wayne Christian at 3:30 p.m. In the nightcap, WCDS takes on Neuse Christian (0-1-0) in a rematch of last year's opening-round state playoff contest won by the Chargers.

The four-team, round-robin Cup concludes Saturday.

Returning starter Matt Kierski punched in two second-half goals within 121/2 minutes of each other, while sophomore Hunter Bryson and Luis Lopez each scored once for the Chargers.

Tony Townsend, Charlie Roethling and John Thompson -- all returnees -- provided one assist apiece.

WCDS took 35 shots.

"We're looking to try to keep the ball," WCDS head coach Steve Ellis said of his team's possession game. "We've got a lot of technically-skilled players, so we're trying to keep the ball on the floor for the most part and work out from the back. I think it went pretty well.

"We're still trying to iron out a few things we've been working on. We spoke at halftime to the boys just to reinforce the value of how we're playing. They took it in and worked it better the second half than they did the first, which was good to see."

The Chargers (1-0-0) controlled the tempo from the opening whistle and consistently knocked the ball around the field to not only wear down the Eagles' defense, but find open seams toward the goal. They won the "second" balls and denied Wayne Christian the opportunity to create any offensive flow during the 80-minute affair played in muggy conditions.

Wayne Christian managed five shots, including three that were stopped by WCDS goalie Patrick Hall.

"We've got to mark tighter, we've got to play tougher, we've got to get to the ball quicker, we've got to get rid of the ball faster," said WCS head coach Daryl Anderson as he read from a list of post-game notes in his hand.

"They were just beating us to the ball, flat out. I've always preached as long as I've coached that if you get beat to the ball, you're going to lose the game, I don't care who it is. If you beat them to the ball, you'll win the game.

"I was proud of them for not quitting. They played the whole game."

The only loss on the day was WCDS senior Jacob Magera, who suffered a freak head injury barely two minutes into the game. Magera needed five staples and will not play the remainder of the Cup. He sees the doctor again next Tuesday.