BOYS' SOCCER: Goldsboro clinches ECC 2A regular-season title

By Justin Hayes
Published in Sports on November 3, 2016 11:12 AM

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jhayes@newsargus.com

Throttle down.

That was the rally cry amongst Goldsboro High varsity pitchmen Thursday evening, who used the sentiment to clinically dispatch Eastern Carolina 2-A Conference rival South Lenoir, 1-0, and emerge as outright league champions for the first time in school history.

The senior night triumph also cemented a home playoff match for the Cougars, which will be played Saturday at 7 p.m.

From the outset, the pace was manic.

Goldsboro opened in an amoeba-like, 3-5-2 offensive shape, and applied terminal pressure to South Lenoir at every turn.

They dictated play at midfield.

They won the battle along the touchline, torching the Blue Devils with regularity and forcing them into a continuous scramble for position.

In a word, it was aggressive.

Offensively, the Cougars worked at a pace that produced two corner kicks and five shots on goal in the opening seven minutes of action -- a relentless clip that drew praise from head coach Chad Lewis.

"We played the game we wanted to play," noted the coach. "(We) had pressure and were all-out to the ball."

In the 10th minute, the strategy paid dividends.

Senior Michael Eovine won a 50/50 scrape near the 30-yard mark and steadily advanced on goal. His charge, however, was halted a few paces inside the box, when he was taken down in a melee of dark blue jerseys.

The resulting penalty kick -- an artful, turf-hovering bender past SL keeper Ruben Ramirez -- was issued seconds later by Aaron Seate, giving the Cougars a 1-nil advantage.

As it turns out, it would be all they needed.

Goldsboro concluded the first half in the same manner in which it began the affair, playing winning angles to preserve its cushion.

At half, the coaching staff maintained a singular message to the players.

"Keep the intensity up, keep your shape," Lewis said. "I just reminded them, if they made runs off passes, you have to regain that composure."

And did they ever comprehend.

The hosts executed brilliantly in the second stanza, playing with dialed-up intensity and denying South Lenoir's every formed attack. Time and again, the Cougars won balls at the center circle and forced the Blue Devils into a backpedaling bit of improvisation.

In the 73rd minute, senior Ruben Quiroz effectively stifled South Lenior's final push to square the match when he single-handedly cleared a developing rush twice in a matter seconds -- a welcome sight to Lewis, who spent the closing minutes in a fitful bit of pacing along the Goldsboro bench area.

"We were all over the place," the coach said. "And they got a few late opportunities because of that."

Not to worry, however.

Goldsboro (10-7-2 overall, 9-1-0 ECC) returned to its syncronized blue-and-gold stinginess and played out the last 60 seconds in championship style, savoring victory as the clock dwindled to zero.

As the team assembled for its championship photo, it did so around the lime green jersey of keeper Chandler Patrick, who tendered another dominant performance between the pipes. In total, the junior stopped nine South Lenoir inquiries and brought his season total to 182 -- a number that translates into a sterling 1.8 goals against average.

Championship acumen, indeed.

"He's one of the best (in the conference), if not the best," Lewis said of his glovesman. "And we're playing some really good soccer... the intensity of this game will help us on Saturday."