Soccer -- EW-CBA get rough and rugged

By Gabe Whisnant
Published in Sports on May 6, 2004 1:58 PM

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No surprise.

Like a majority of the matches between the top four girls soccer teams in the Class 3-A Eastern Carolina Conference, Wednesday's clash between Charles B. Aycock and Eastern Wayne came down to one goal.

On the Lady Warriors' Senior Night, Aycock senior and leading scorer Mary Beth Hooks provided the game's only goal in the 28th minute of the second half as the Golden Falcons claimed a 1-0 win at Little Big Horn.

Aycock (12-4, 9-2 ECC) turned in their ninth shutout of the season and can play for a share of its first conference title on Friday at home against South Central. The Falcons currently sit one game behind West Carteret (10-2) and Washington (10-2) in the win column.

The top ECC seed earns a first-round bye, the second-place team plays at home against the Big Eight North's number three, while the number three travels to the Big Eight North's second seed.

Eastern Wayne (6-8, 6-6 ECC) wrapped up its conference schedule finishing fourth and will open the playoffs at the Big Eight South's number three seed, which is currently held by West Johnston.

"I'm hoping for a couple of good nights in a row. We played well today, and I hope it will continue on," Eastern Wayne coach Jorg Wagner said.

Hooks scored on a right-footed shot that she lofted over the head of Eastern Wayne goalie Ashley Lish, who was several steps off of the line. Hooks took a dribble, settled then shot well over the head of Lish as the ball bounced into the top of the net for her 13th goal of the season.

The goal came after a handful of near misses in the first half that saw Aycock outshoot the Warriors 7-1.

"The first half was kind of frustrating, because we did have some opportunities," Hooks said. "But, we've always done a good job of coming back in the second half this year."

Eastern Wayne found much more of an offensive rhythm in the middle and late stages of the second and had a couple of golden chances to equalize.

Two minutes after Aycock's goal, Natalie Taylor's shot slipped through the hand of Aycock goalie Emily Stewart. Just as a Warrior was running on to finish the put-back, a Falcon defender knocked the ball out of the box.

With just under nine minutes left, Eastern Wayne's leading scorer, freshman Samantha Frazer, had a one-on-one opportunity, but her shot went just wide -- skipping off of the right post.

The Warriors outshot the Falcons 5-3 in the second half.

"I thought from the start it was going to be a battle. We probably had the chance of the match, but we were unable to convert," Wagner said. "I thought we were able to create a little more pressure in the second half."

The rivals played physical through the contest with the two teams combining for 22 fouls, but neither team capitalized off of the free kicks.

The Warriors had one near miss on a free kick on the left wing with 16 minutes left in the first. The kick was just out of Stewart's reach, but she recovered to make a diving save on a follow shot.

Aycock had three close chances under the 15-minute mark of the first half. With under two minutes left, Hooks' attempt inside the 18-yard box was saved by Lish -- preserving the shutout going into halftime.

"The girls up top kept pushing the ball and our defense bailed us out of a couple of times," Aycock coach John Fidler said. "We kept the fast breaks to a minimum, and I thought we did a good job of keeping the ball down on our end of the field."

Stewart finished with six saves, while Lish turned in eight saves.

Eastern Wayne seniors Sarah Bacon (captain), Grace Northington (captain), Jessica Pate, Sarah Foley, Christina Fanto and Katy Biehl all played in their final regular-season home gams for the Warriors.

C.B. Aycock 0 1 -- 1

Eastern Wayne 0 0 -- 0

Second half

CBA - Hooks, 28:54

CBA EW

10 Shots 6

8 Corner kicks 3

1 Offsides 0

12 Fouls 10

Saves -- Stewart (CBA) 6. Lish (EW) 8.