CHARGER CUP: WCDS knocks off Hickory Christian, 3-1

By Ben Coley
Published in Sports on August 14, 2016 1:45 AM

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bcoley@newsargus.com

Following a shutout loss against Cape Fear Academy, the Wayne Country Day boys' soccer team looked to impose its will offensively versus Hickory Christian Academy on Friday night.

And nearly seven minutes into the second day matchup of the Charger Cup, freshman Nehemiya Shaw positioned himself near the left corner of the 18-yard box and kicked the ball over the goalie's outstretched hands.

The ball found the right corner of the net, inciting a celebratory scream from Shaw.

The goal established the tone, as Wayne Country Day dominated possession en route to a 3-1 victory over Hickory Christian.

WCDS head coach Steve Ellis said that when Cape Fear Academy scored its first goal on Thursday, his team lost focus and couldn't quite recover.

But against Hickory Christian, the team never let the foot off of the proverbial gas pedal.

"Until we conceded, we dominated that game (versus Cape Fear)," Ellis said. "We conceded and our heads dropped a little bit. (Today), we had a better team performance and better attitude when we were up against it a little bit in our own minds just because of (Thursday's) results."

The Chargers' ability to respond to adversity was tested early into the match. After a miscue by the defense, Knights' senior Nate Frye knocked in a goal to tie the score at 1-1 in the 11th minute.

Unlike the Cape Fear game, WCDS refused to crumble. Two minutes later, Chargers' junior Ben Cohen scored off of an assist by junior Hunter Bryson to give WCDS a lead it wouldn't relinquish.

In total, WCDS had 35 shots on goal and 10 corner kicks. The Knights -- who struggled to advance the ball into the offensive side of the field -- collected just two corner kicks.

"I think they're just a little older and more experienced," said Knights' head coach Josh Walker. "They have guys who played a lot of playoff soccer together. They looked like they've played together a long time."

Shaw, who had eight shots on goal, cushioned the Chargers' lead with a goal assisted by junior Luis Lopez in the 63rd minute.

Despite being a freshman, Ellis expects Shaw to perform at a high level. The Chargers' coach said he loved his young forward's energy against the Knights.

"He's not the tallest, but he's very physical," Ellis said. "He doesn't stop. He played last year in the state final, and he scored. So it's just getting the nervousness away from him, and play natural. And he did that today."