PREP SOCCER: Goldsboro, EW battle to 2-2 draw

By Justin Hayes
Published in Sports on August 16, 2016 1:48 PM

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jhayes@newsargus.com

Survival of the fittest.

That's what matters boiled down to last evening as Goldsboro High's Chandler Patrick stifled a Christian Anderson header with scant few seconds remaining to preserve a breathless, blood-rushing, 2-2 draw against Eastern Wayne at New Hope.

Eastern Wayne's Alfrado Cebrera prompted the pace early, winning a ball along the touchline and crossing it to Anderson, who booted home the match's opening goal a mere 48 seconds into the procession.

The strike set the tone for what would become a manic, thrill-a-minute flash of back-and-forth futbol.

"A great way to start," said Eastern Wayne head coach Scott Summers. "Set the tone with high intensity... but we have to take that momentum and keep it going."

Credit Goldsboro (0-0-1 overall) for breaking up the party.

Led by Aaron Seate, the Cougars proved stingy in front of their goal, stifling the Warriors with a blend of blinding speed and crippling physicality.

They won 50-50 balls. They broke up efforts played over the top. They frustrated Anderson, a UNC Greensboro recruit and one of the state's most gifted performers.

In turn, they attacked and tested the limits of the Warriors' back line with a high-octane bit of touch-and-go persuasion.

According to first-year Goldsboro head coach Chad Lewis, pace was the dominant theme in his club's game plan.

"We are, by far, a very fit team," Lewis said, "that's what we preach - press, press. We had plenty of opportunities to score."

But until the 35th minute, Eastern Wayne kept the affair quiet.

Cue Goldsboro's Isaiah Griggs.

The senior midfielder corralled a lost EW touch at nearly 40 yards and fired on goal. The frozen rope darted past Warriors keeper Bryan Morales and tied the score at 1-1.

Griggs' goal sent the Cougar bench into a state of delirium.

Seate made the score 2-1 just a minute into the period with a blast to the corner net. The score again registered bedlam on the Cougar bench but did very little to impress Summers, who made clear to his team its responsibility.

"We have to step to the ball, get in their face," Summers said. "Contest the shot, not give them free shots."

The Warriors, however, refused to relent.

Gassed but pressing, EW's Cabrera found enough wind to score on a deft touch from Anderson in the 55th minute. The goal tied the game at 2-2 and set the stage for a wild, edge-of-your-seat finish.

With darkness approaching and the clock waning, Goldsboro misplayed a touch at the EW goal line. The resulting corner kick, taken by Morales, was lobbed into a sea of jerseys with just under 10 seconds remaining.

Emerging from the melee was Anderson, whose header was snared by a lunging Patrick near the right post as time expired.

"Second half, we probably won half the balls in the air," Lewis noted. "And maybe one in the first."

Including the very last, a brave effort by Patrick, which capped a gauntlet-inspired effort by both schools.