Cleveland-Aycock soccer
By Andrew Stevens
Published in Sports on October 11, 2011 1:48 PM
PIKEVILLE -- Cleveland did all it could to make life uncomfortable for Charles B. Aycock for 60 minutes Monday evening.
The Golden Falcons all but put the Rams away in five minutes.
Aycock scored three times during that stretch to break open a 1-0 game and hung on for a 4-3 victory in Eastern Carolina 3-A Conference play at Hardy Talton Stadium.
The Golden Falcons' Chase Thompson's free kick from 30 yards out in the fourth minute was saved. Aycock threatened with a corner kick in the sixth minute. Collin Zacharzuk scored off Ronnie Person's corner kick in the 28th minute to give the Golden Falcons a 1-0 lead.
Cleveland was unable to convert on corner kicks in the 20th and 37th minutes.
The Rams pressured Aycock's defense early and often in the second half. Cleveland earned corner kicks in the 42nd, 43rd, 44th, 56th and 57th minutes. Jacob Burton's free kick from 40 yards out in the 61st minute was stopped on a diving save by Golden Falcons' keeper Nick Hilker to preserve the 1-0 lead.
"When it was 1-0, Cleveland really played well," said Aycock head coach Kevin Adkins. "The first 10 minutes of the second half we didn't do anything. That was a huge save. I thought Nick read the ball well and got his body behind it. It was a super save."
Juan Pina increased the Golden Falcons' lead to 2-0 off Thompson's through ball in the 63rd minute. Bryan Johnson scored a minute later and Trey Millard capped Aycock's scoring in the 68th minute off Pina's assist.
"Those three goals were real critical" Adkins said. "If we want to finish third in the conference and make the playoffs, we have to put everything in the win column from here on out. It was very important that we got those goals."
Cleveland (2-14-3 overall, 2-8-0 ECC) scored three times in the final 10 minutes with the majority of the Golden Falcons' starters on the bench.
Aycock (9-4-0, 5-4-0) visits Eastern Wayne on Wednesday night.