Eastern Wayne girls soccer team blanks Aycock

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on April 1, 2007 2:15 AM

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On a chilly Friday evening when Eastern Wayne memorialized its most big-hearted cheerleader, the women's soccer team earned a crucial victory on the Class 3-A Eastern Carolina Conference scene.

Senior Sam Frazer delivered a four-goal outing, including two penalty kicks, in the Warriors' 4-0 triumph over county archrival Charles B. Aycock. Eastern Wayne (5-6 overall) notched its third shutout against ECC opposition this spring and improved to 3-1 in league play.

The Golden Falcons (5-5-1) endured their third consecutive defeat in a four-day period and departed Little Big Horn with a 2-2 ECC ledger.

Emotions rippled through the Warriors prior to kickoff.

A fellow student-athlete, men's soccer player Vince Hagedorn, sustained no significant injuries in a two-car accident in town. Frazer and her teammates certainly hadn't forgotten losing on their home pitch to C.B. Aycock in last year's ECC tournament finals.

And they finally had a chance to remember "Grandpa" Connie Winters, their beloved supporter who passed away in mid-December. Winters befriended everyone who crossed his path during regular-season and travel-ball play. His voice always bellowed through the towering trees surrounding the football stadium, but it has been sorely missed this season.

The Warriors celebrated Winters' legacy with a victory. His family -- Beth and Eric Jorgenson, and grandson Eric -- received a clock and a seat plate in Winters' honor at halftime. The seat plate will reside permanently in the bleachers at Little Big Horn.

Eastern Wayne posted its fourth shutout of the season overall and damaged C.B. Aycock's aspirations of obtaining its first ECC crown since 2005. The Warriors remained a game behind 2006 regular-season co-champion Wilson Hunt in the league standings.

"We were really focused coming into this game and we wanted it really bad," said Eastern Wayne senior Natalie Taylor, who dished out two assists and helped set up one PK. "We knew we had to win to stay in competition for the (regular-season) conference championship."

The Warriors had to prevent C.B. Aycock's Lizzie Sodoma from getting open looks at the goal. The senior forward scored three goals combined in the Golden Falcons' losses to Hunt and North Lenoir earlier in the week.

Tija Riley played superb defense on Sodoma throughout the 80-minute affair. Sophomore Anna Hajjar served as Sodoma's personal sweeper if she happened to get past Riley, and get an open path toward the goal.

"Lizzie is skilled, fast and has an incredible shot," said Eastern Wayne coach Jörg Wagner. "When she gets going, she's very difficult to stop. Tija, I thought, did very well there."

C.B. Aycock coach Tom Zietlow expected the Warriors to pay close attention to Sodoma. Riley's determined effort negated the Golden Falcons' lone scoring weapon and no one accepted a scoring role behind Sodoma, much to Zietlow's disappointment.

"The biggest thing we've been looking for all year is that second scorer who we can depend on," said Zietlow. "We're not really getting anybody else to put the ball in the back of the net, and that's been the hardest part."

Eastern Wayne fired four shots on goal in the first 10 minutes, but came up empty. Aycock keeper Courtney Sheeks stopped two shots, while two other attempts either sailed wide or over the goal.

Frazer erased the scoreless tie in the 17th minute. Taylor gained possession of a free ball and passed it between two Golden Falcon defenders to Frazer. Frazer, who made a brilliant run down the right sideline, curled a shot inside the far post for a 1-0 advantage.

"We've played together for so long, we know where each other are (on the field)," said Taylor. "I knew she'd be up in the right spot. Once we got that first goal, that gave us a lot of confidence and we knew we could put some more in."

Taylor was right.

Frazer converted back-to-back PKs in the 28th and 38th minutes off Aycock fouls. A handball infraction led to the first goal, while Taylor deserved an assist on Frazer's second penalty after drawing a hard foul in the box. Frazer has supplied three PKs in the Warriors' last two contests.

"They're tough calls," said Zietlow. "The refs are right there and they're closer to the foul. The second one I understand a little bit more than the first. When you give Sam a chance at a penalty kick, she's going to put it in there.

"I told the girls before the game to play aggressive and to get to every single ball. They did that and sometimes mistakes are going to happen."

Eastern Wayne led 3-0 at halftime and concluded the scoring in the 68th minute on Taylor's crossing shot to Frazer, who set up in the middle of the 18-yard box for an uncontested shot on goal.

The Warriors finished with a 19-6 edge in shots. Keeper Brittany Spence used her entire body to record her one save. Sodoma got loose for a breakaway, but Spence slid and blocked the shot.

Wagner couldn't have been more pleased with the outcome.

"A very important win for us with what is shaping up to be maybe a three- or four-horse race (in the ECC)," he said. "It's very important that we beat the teams closest to us in the standings, especially when they come to our place.

"We did enough to do that tonight."

Grandpa would have been proud.

C.B. Aycock 0 0 -- 0

Eastern Wayne 3 1 -- 4

First half

EW -- Frazer (Taylor assist), 16:02

EW -- Frazer PK, 27:32

EW -- Frazer PK, 37:28

Second half

EW -- Frazer (Taylor assist), 67:52

Shots on goal -- E. Wayne 19, C.B. Aycock 7. Corner kicks -- E. Wayne 5, C.B. Aycock 2. Fouls -- E. Wayne 14, C.B. Aycock 7. Offsides -- none. Saves -- E. Wayne (Spence 1), C.B. Aycock (Sheeks 7).

Records: Eastern Wayne 5-6, 3-1 Eastern Carolina 3-A Conference; C.B. Aycock 5-5-1, 2-2 ECC.