1A BOYS SOCCER: Rosewood knocks off Granville Central

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on November 13, 2015 1:48 PM

• Print
• Email

rcoggins@newsargus.com

STEM -- There's no place like the road.

At least, the Rosewood boys' soccer team seems to think so these days.

Ethan Chapin notched a natural hat trick (three consecutive goals) and the Eagles won their 11th road game of the season -- a 4-1 triumph over state-ranked Granville Central in third-round play of the N.C. High School Athletic Association Class 1-A boys' soccer playoffs Thursday evening.

Rosewood (17-5-1 overall) travels to two-time defending state champion Wallace-Rose Hill (19-4-1) on Saturday. Kickoff is tentatively scheduled for 1 p.m.

"I'm kind of glad about all of these away games, I like them," Chapin said. "We're playing better (in) all of these away games for some reason. Who knows?"

RHS head coach Eddie Maldonado learned through scouting reports that the Panthers, ranked No. 13 in the Eurosportscoreboard.com 1-A state poll, liked to distribute the ball through the midfield and attack on goal. He opted to play three center midfielders, which left Chapin alone up top.

He wasn't sure what would happen.

And Maldonado grew even more nervous when Granville Central seized a 1-0 lead. It was the first time Rosewood had trailed in the postseason after back-to-back shutouts over Bear Grass Charter and East Carteret.

"They did a good job of putting us under pressure and we did a good job of handling the pressure," Maldonado said. "I was interested in seeing how we'd react to them after they scored the first goal. (Goalie) Tucker (Chapin) told me that he could have gotten to the ball, but his feet slipped out from underneath him."

Rosewood's Daniel Alberto provided the equalizer on a free kick.

His seventh goal of the season energized the Eagles.

"I think we kind of started slow at the beginning," Chapin said. "When they scored, we realized that it wouldn't be as easy as the first two games. Then we started working harder. When Daniel scored, I feel like we picked up the pace a whole lot. (We) started playing quicker and (more) aggressive.

"That's what kept us in the game and helped us get the win."

Chapin collected the go-ahead goal with less than 20 seconds remaining before halftime. The Panthers attempted a corner kick and Chapin hoped teammate Zack Barnes could get to it. Alberto, instead, chased down a loose ball and flicked it forward to Chapin.

Using his speed and agility, Chapin dribbled around the defender and faced GC keeper Jose Briones one-on-one. Briones came off his line and Chapin tapped it in for a 2-1 lead.

Chapin completed his natural hat trick on assists from Alberto in the second half. The team's leading scorer with 27 goals, Chapin scored in his fifth consecutive match and 19th overall this season.

Alberto raised his assist total to 15.

"Ethan has been a beast," Maldonado said. "They just had no answer for him. There was nothing they could do with him."

Rosewood's back four defenders -- Hayden Amodeo, Collin Carter, Justin Brogden and Skylar Price -- protected the two-goal lead. The 11th-seeded Eagles extended their win streak to nine and punched their ticket to the eastern semifinals for the first time in program history.

"At the beginning of the year I never thought this team would do what they are doing," Maldonado said. "We've got some speed up top, good skill in the middle and kids in the back who work really, really hard. We're playing pretty good right now. I'm excited."