Aycock rebounds against Eastern Wayne

By Andrew Stevens
Published in Sports on October 14, 2008 1:50 PM

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PIKEVILLE -- There's nothing like playing an archrival to help refocus after a loss.

Since suffering its first defeat nearly a week ago, state-ranked Charles B. Aycock got goals from five different players and blitzed Eastern Wayne 6-0 at Hardy Talton Stadium on Monday evening. It was the Golden Falcons' fifth shutout in Class 3-A Eastern Carolina Conference play this season and 10th overall.

C.B. Aycock, which tumbled to No. 10 in the latest N.C. Soccer Coaches Association poll, misfired on several quality scoring opportunities early in the match. Gavin Forrest and Thomas Oliver each had shots hit the post in the first 20 minutes. David Burke's blast in the 23rd minute clanged off the crossbar.

The Golden Falcons (16-1 overall, 8-1 ECC) had six corner kicks in the first 18 minutes, but nothing to show for it.

Finally in the 35th minute Alex Rodriguez ended Aycock's offensive frustration with a shot from just inside the 18-yard box. His blast caught the finger tips of Warriors keeper Josh Olmsted and rolled into the net.

"Our guys just stayed patient and they were just waiting for that one goal to come in and settle us down a little bit," said C.B. Aycock assistant coach Scott Summers. "I think (the loss at Hunt) helped us focus a lot because it helped us realize a lot of things we needed to work on."

Rodriguez struck again in the 39th minute off an assist from Tyson Pearson.

"Alex did step up," said Summers. "He stepped up and he did really well."

Forrest extended the Golden Falcons' lead on a penalty kick in the 44th minute after Rodriguez drew a foul in the 18-yard box. Ryan Martin scored in the 51st minute on a deflection off David Burke's throw in and Tucker Pearson stretched the advantage to 5-0 on a chip shot over Olmsted's head in the 69th minute.

Forrest capped the scoring in the 72nd minute.

Meanwhile, Eastern Wayne (5-8, 4-5) struggled from start to finish offensively. Aycock keepers Brandon Davis and Charlie Howell combined for just two saves as the Warriors spent the majority of the evening defending rather than attacking.

The Golden Falcons finished with a 22-3 shots on goal advantage and 10-0 edge in corner kicks.

"I think after the first three (shots) clanged off the post we were looking at each other saying, 'what are we getting into here?'" said Eastern Wayne head coach Jorg Wagner. "It took a while to recover from that. There were glimpses of us generating some pressure, but just not enough to get good looks on goal."

Both squads conclude regular-season play on Wednesday. C.B. Aycock plays host to Southern Wayne, while the Warriors entertain Kinston. Both games begin at 7 p.m.