BOYS' SOCCER: WCDS falls to Greenfield in state 1A final

By Ben Coley
Published in Sports on October 30, 2016 1:45 AM

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bcoley@newsargus.com

WILSON -- Top-seeded Wayne Country Day and second-seeded Greenfield were destined to meet in the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association state 1-A boys' soccer championship.

Both have served as the weakness for the other at some point.

On Saturday, Greenfield decided to possess the kryptonite.

With precise ball control and swarming defense, the Knights clinched a 3-1 victory over the Chargers to claim the trophy.

"It's always tough coming to Greenfield," said WCDS coach Steve Ellis. "I thought the boys were a little nervous to start. But I thought they played well and hung in there."

Early into the game, Greenfield dominated possession and rifled several shots toward WCDS goalie Thomas Sumner.

The Chargers withstood the early storm, and responded with a breakaway in the ninth minute. On the fast break, Ben Cohen slapped a diagonal pass to Hunter Bryson. The junior easily slid the ball past the goalkeeper.

WCDS 1, Greenfield 0.

The Knights continued to chip away at the Chargers' defense. It took only two minutes for Greenfield to answer. A Greenfield corner kick flew into the box, and Argenis Rodriguez used his head to tie the score at one-all.

"The gameplan was as normal," said WCDS coach Steve Ellis. "Compact and hit them on their break, and that's what we did with our first goal. The momentum shifted right after the header goal. And I think nerves got to them a little bit."

The goal energized the Knights, who appeared to kick it up a notch after tying the score.

Right before halftime, Greenfield's James Wells possessed the ball around the edge of the 18-yard box. Meanwhile, the WCDS coaching staff shouted a constant plea to their players, 'No shot! No shot!.'

The instructions were easier said than done. Wells kicked it toward Logan Johnson who easily slammed it past Sumner's hands.

Ellis said the only difference in the game was the lack of pressure by WCDS' defense.

"We were happy for them to switch it from centerback to centerback and out wide because we were compact," Ellis said. "Our midfield and backline dropped a bit too much and didn't support."

The dagger goal came in the 58th minute. The Knights' Cullen Wells kicked a long pass into the box. The ball connected with the foot of James Wells, and he ripped a shot toward the back of the net.

Greenfield tallied 14 shots and nine corner kicks. WCDS registered 10 shots, but only two corners.

WCDS finished the season 18-3-0 -- two of the losses coming against Greenfield. Cohen, Nehemiya Shaw and Noah Adkins were named to the 1-A all-state team.

Despite finishing just short, Ellis said the future is bright for WCDS soccer. The Chargers aren't planning to leave the title picture any time soon.

"We only lose (Adkins), so we still have the core of the team that started today," Ellis said. "And you look at Sumner, he made four or five outstanding saves. That's going to bode them well for the future."