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Bowman drills home header in final 90 seconds, Mountaineers stay unbeaten

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By Matt Present. BOONE, N.C. – Trailing by a goal in the final 90 seconds of regulation, Summer Bowman drilled a shot towards the James Madison goal. While the initial effort went ringing off the crossbar, the ball bounced right back to Bowman who headed it home, to help the Mountaineers pull out a 1-1 draw against the Dukes, Sunday at The Valley.

For the second time in a matter of five days, App State (5-3-2, 1-0-2) showed tremendous fight to overcome a late-game deficit. Wednesday in Conway, Bowman netted an equalizer with seven minutes to play to earn a point at Coastal, and Sunday’s effort was even more dramatic, helped by the eruption of the home crowd in Boone.

The goal, which crossed the line with just 1:03 remaining in regulation, keeps the Mountaineers unbeaten in Sun Belt play, and undefeated at home where they are now 3-0-2 on the campaign, and have conceded just one goal on the turf in Boone.

eagleston finished the match with four saves

JMU (5-2-4, 2-0-1), which was picked to win the Sun Belt this season, opened the scoring in the 24th minute when Suwaibatu Mohammed capitalized on a counter attack and flicked the ball past Kerry Eagleston.

That was the only blemish on Eagleston’s line. She finished the match with four saves, and despite JMU controlling possession, 59 percent to 41 percent, the App State defense did well to keep that control outside threatening areas of the field.

App State out-shot JMU 12-11, including seven shots (three on goal) from Izzi Wood, who also rang a shot off the crossbar with 13 minutes to play in the opening half.

The Mountaineers will continue their homestand on Friday night, when they host Georgia Southern at 5:30 p.m. It’s Pups at the Pitch night, and fans are encouraged to bring their furry friends out to the match. The contest will be broadcast on ESPN+.

Panthers fall short in Seattle, 37-27

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By David Rogers. SEATTLE, Wash. — What started as a battle of football field goals in the first half and well into the third quart of the NFL game between the Carolina Panthers and Seattle Seahawks on Sept. 24, quickly morphed into a TD fest of the home team at Lumen Field.

Carolina’s 13-12 halftime lead didn’t last long in the second half. With just under 10 minutes remaining in the third quarter, Seahawks placekicker Jason Myers slotted his fifth field goal to put Seattle ahead, 15-13. Then, two TD scores by running back Kenneth Walker III and a 5-yard pass from Seattle QB Geno Smith to former undrafted free agent wide receiver Jake Bobo proved too much for the visiting Panthers to overcome.

It’s not as if the Panthers didn’t try. Besides the two 4th quarter touchdowns — one a plunge across the goal line by running back Miles Sanders and the final one a 15-yard wrestling pass TD to Adam Thielen from backup QB Andy Dalton — Carolina’s offense was, on the surface at least, productive.

Seattle’s Kenneth Walker III was tough to bring down on Sept. 24. Photo courtesy of the Carolina Panthers

Dalton, called to action after 2023 NFL Draft No. 1 draft pick injured an ankle a week ago against the New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football, passed for 361 yards and two touchdowns, completing 34-of-58 passes. He spread the ball around to 10 different receivers, including Thielen and D J Chark for 145 and 86 yards, respectively, and one TD each.

The apparent problem was that the Panthers defense had their work cut out for them in containing Seattle’s Geno Smith-led, balanced offense. Walker (18 carries for 97 yards and rookie RB Zach Charbonnet (9 carries, 46 yards) led a Seahawk rushing attack that rolled up 146 net yards to complement 23-of-36 passing by Smith for 296 yards. Each team recorded three TDs, but Seattle was 5-for-5 on field goals while the Panthers were 2-for-3.

Also telling: the Panthers had to punt five times, the Seahawks only twice. The Panthers accumulated a lot of yards, but only got into the red zone twice, converting them into points each time. The Seahawks, they got into the red zone six times, converting on half of them.

Pennel No. 39, Izewski out in BMW Berlin Marathon

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By David Rogers. BLOWING ROCK, N.C. — It wasn’t the day either Josh Izewski or Tyler Pennel were working toward in the BMW Berlin Marathon on Sept. 24. With Izewski pulling up and out with a “hip flare,” Pennel continued on but was well off his personal best, finishing in 2 hours, 14 minutes and 28 seconds, No. 39 to cross the finish line out of almost 29,000 runners, according to the Berlin Marathon official results.

Pennel’s “PR” was set in the Chevron Houston Marathon this past January, in 2:12:16 where he finished No. 5 in a strong field. ZAP Endurance head coach said before this year’s Berlin race that Pennel and Izewski were both aiming for 2:11, perhaps lower.

At the halfway point in the race, Pennel was running in the No. 55 position, so was able to close on some of those ahead of him by the end. His 3:04 to 3:05 per kilometer pace in the first half of the race slowed to 3:26 by the end, according to data obtained from BMW Berlin Marathon. Pennel was No. 6 in his Men 35 age group.

Izewski, unfortunately, had to drop out after the halfway point, where he was running No. 56 on the shoulder of training partner Pennel, at No. 55.

“Josh had to drop out early because his hip flared up badly,” said Rea, after the race. “Tyler’s 2:14 was an OK day, not great.”

Overall, the race was not without its dramatic moments, however. Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge won a record fifth Berlin Marathon in the Men’s Division, in 2:0242. He was followed by countryman Vincent Kipkemoi (2:03:13) and Ethiopia’s Tadese Takele (2:03:24).

In the Women’s Division, Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa blew away the field in world record fashion, recording a 2:11:53, well ahead of second place finisher Sheila Chepkirui of Kenya (2:17:49). Magdalena Shauri of Tanzania was came in No. 3 (2:18:41). Six of the top 8 runners were from Ethiopia.

Northern lights? Watauga splits Saturday action with N. Iredell, N. Henderson

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By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Having just started Northwestern Conference volleyball play where the Watauga has a so far unblemished, 3-0 record, the Pioneers hosted two more strong, non-conference opponents on Sept. 23. Call it a “north” day in Lentz Eggers Gym.

BONUS PHOTOS AT BOTTOM OF ARTICLE (click any image for slideshow mode)

All photographic image by David Rogers, High Country Sports

Western Foothills 3A Conference powerhouse North Iredell was 8-0 in conference and 13-1 overall going into the morning battle vs. Watauga. The Raiders lived up to their record, sweeping the Pioneers, 3-0. Not to take anything away from North Iredell, but the match was closer than a sweep usually reflects: 25-19, 25-16, 28-26, with lengthy rallies, thunderous kill shots, and spectacular digs to keep the ball in play.

Defensively, the teams were evenly matched but the Raiders’ offensive attack seemed to take the Pioneers out of system, many of their sets and attack opportunities coming somewhat off balance.

In an early afternoon tilt against North Henderson, Watauga rallied to win, 3-2 (20-25, 25-23,25-14, 15-25,15-9. Against the Knights, Brooklyn Stanbery and Emma Pastusic forged 29 and 22 kills, respectively. Setting up the offensive attack, Madi Combs and Lainey Gragg did yeoman’s work with 28 and 22 assists, respectively. Defensively, Evie Robbins had 36 digs, Standbery 17 digs, and Olivia Kop 15 digs, while Grace Twillery and Kora Knight showcased their defensive skills with four and three stuff blocks, respectively.

BONUS PHOTOS FROM THE MORNING MATCH

Wyoming lassos Mountaineers for comeback win, 22-19

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By David Rogers. LARAMIE, Wyo. — It was special teams, defense and clock management night on Sept. 23 in War Memorial Stadium. In the end, it was special teams and defense that powered host Wyoming to an improbable, come-from-behind win over Appalachian State, 22-19.

In one sense, the fifth time was the charm for the Cowboys. After Mountaineer placekicker Michael Hughes slotted four field goals in the first half and redshirt senior Tyrek Funderburk seemed to put the game away for App State with an 18-yard return of a pass interception in the fourth quarter to put his team ahead, 19-7, things started going remarkably wrong for the Boone boys.

App State @ Wyoming, Sept. 22, 2023. Photo by David Katzenmeier for App State Sports

On the first play from scrimmage following Funderbunk’s INT, Wyoming’s junior running back Harrison Waylee broke through the left side and rambled the distance, a 75-yard TD run. Junior placekicker John Hoyland’s successful PAT pulled the Cowboys within a TD, 19-14, the Mountaineers still leading.

App State got the ball back with 11:24 left on the clock and seemed to have two objectives: take as much time off the clock as possible in keeping the Wyoming offense off the field and, in the end, put points on the board. A field goal would put them ahead by eight points, the preferred TD and PAT by 12.

App State @ Wyoming, Sept. 22, 2023. Photo by David Katzenmeier for App State Sports

Right on cue, App State quarterback Joey Aguilar orchestrated a 17-play drive that took all but 2:02 off the clock. Facing 4th down and 11 at the Wyoming 29-yard line, the estimated 47-yard kick seemingly well within Hughes’ range, the coaching staff opted for the field goal.

What they got instead was the worst case scenario: a blocked kick by the Cowboys’ Jakorey Hawkins, who followed it up with a “scoop and scoot,” returning the blocked kick 62 yards for a TD — putting Wyoming ahead, 22-19, for the first time since a QB keeper run by senior QB Andrew Peasley gave them a tenuous, 7-6 lead in the second quarter.

App State @ Wyoming, Sept. 22, 2023. Photo by David Katzenmeier for App State Sports

With 1:53 remaining, App State had plenty of time to march down for a TD to win or a field goal to tie the game and send it into probably overtime. Again right on cue, in nine plays Aguilar & Co. marched down to the Wyoming 35, for what would have been a challenging, 52 yard field goal attempt. On second and 10, with 18 seconds remaining on the clock and no timeouts, Aguilar aimed a pass to wide receiver Milan Tucker in the end zone, drawing a pass interference penalty against the Cowboys’ defensive back.

Although the Mountaineers had clearly moved to within field goal range with the ball at the 20 yard line, with 10 seconds remaining they had enough time to get either a TD or move the ball just that much closer for a field goal by gaining some insurance yards.

Unfortunately, Aguilar was pressured by the Cowboys’ defensive line and his pass over the middle intended for tight end Eli Wilson came up short — and was intercepted by junior defensive tackle Jordan Bertagnole — and immediately downed to preserve Wyoming’s come-from-behind win.

Except for Appalachian State offense’s inability to score touchdowns even upon getting the ball into the red zone, the Mountaineers played brilliantly. The time of possession was as lopsided as a football game could get, with App State controlling the ball for 40:25 vs. just 19:35 for Wyoming.

Give at least some credit to the Cowboys’ kicking team and punter Clayton Stewart. The graduate transfer from Texas State had four punts downed inside the 20, two of them at the Mountaineer 1-yard line to give App State’s offense poor starting field position.

App State @ Wyoming, Sept. 22, 2023. Photo by David Katzenmeier for App State Sports

App State won almost every statistical category except turnovers and red zone TDs, which came back to haunt them.

  • The Mountaineers more than doubled Wyoming’s offensive production, with 417 yards of net total offense compared to just 208 yards for their hosts.
  • App State converted on 10-of-19 third downs, vs. just 3-of-12 for the Cowboys.
  • The Boone contingent racked up 17 first downs, vs. just 7 for the Laramie bunch.
  • And they ran 90 total offensive plays compared to just 42 for the regular tenants of War Memorial Stadium.
  • The Appalachian defense recorded three QB sacks, setting the Cowboys back 28 yards and disrupting those otherwise promising offensive possessions.
  • On offense, Aguilar completed 22 of 40 pass attempts for 200 yards while Peasley was just 5-15, for 31 yards.
  • As advertised the Mountaineers were successful in controlling the clock largely by running the football. Running back Nate Noel, who entered the game as the nation’s FBS rushing leader, carried the ball 30 times for 107 yards but App State also got good ground game production from a supporting cast that included Kanye Robers (6 carries, 59 yards) and Maquel Haywood, the transfer from Navy (8 carries, 31 yards).
  • Aguilar’s 22 pass completions for 200 yards were spread among nine receivers, most notably to WR Kaedin Robinson’s three catches for 51 yards.
  • Hughes’ made field goals in the first half included from 25, 28, 20 and 50 yards (the longest of his career).

The Mountaineers next open Sun Belt Conference play at Louisiana-Monroe on Sept. 30, before coming home to play Coastal Carolina on Tuesday, Oct. 10.

App State @ Wyoming, Sept. 22, 2023. Photo by David Katzenmeier for App State Sports

 

Vestri No. 4 in maiden race for ZAP Endurance, the USATF 10k Championships

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By David Rogers. NORTHPORT, N.Y. — Among Blowing Rock’s newest residents is Amanda Vestri, 24 — and boy, does she know how to make a first impression.

In her first professional race as a member of the ZAP Endurance elite running team, Vestri finished No. 4 in the women’s division of the USA Track & Field 10k Championships, run in conjunction with the The Great Cow Harbor 10k Run that attracted nearly 4,000 runners.

Including the men, Vestri finished No. 40, overall. Her time of 33:02 was only 1:05 behind the top female finisher, Weini Kelati, 27, of Johnson City, who clocked 31:57. Ednah Kurgat, 32, of Colorado Springs was second in 32:40 and Emma Grace Hurley, 26, of Atlanta was No. 3, in 32:56, crossing the line just six seconds in front of Vestri.

 

 

James Madison trips up Mountaineers in Sun Belt opening thriller, 3-1

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By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Blockbuster kill shots, defenders diving headlong across the floor in desperate attempts to keep the ball in play — and often accomplishing the miraculous. Bang-bang stuff blocks, service aces that impossibly found an open space in a corner. That was App State Volleyball at the Holmes Center on Sept. 22, on Youth Team Night.

BONUS PHOTOS AT BOTTOM OF ARTICLE (click on any image for slideshow mode)

And yet, on this night, visiting James Madison was all that and one notch more, ripping away a victory over the host Mountaineers in a 3-1 thriller, 25-22, 25-21, 19-25, 25-21. An estimated 700 fans got their money’s worth of top-notch volleyball thrills and spills.

Photographic image by David Rogers
SET ONE: JMU 25-22

The Dukes and the Mountaineers went point-for-point with each other early in the first set until JMU went on a 5-point run to take a 13-6 lead. Unfazed, App State fought back to tie the set at 13-13. In powering her App State team back, freshman middle blocker Maya Winterhoff rattled off three kills while fellow freshman libero Alyssa McBean recorded one of her two service aces on the night.

The Mountaineers couldn’t quite gain the advantage, however. They tied the Dukes again at 19-19, but dramatic kill shots by JMU’s Elizabeth Helmich, Annie Smith, Bre Reid, and Sophie Davis were too much for App State to overcome.

SET TWO: JMU 25-21

It became obvious that James Madison had gained some confidence with the first set win and they used that momentum to their advantage, jumping out to a 6-0 lead off consecutive, powerful kills by senior outside hitter Mitte Veldman, a stuff block by Veldman and fifth year senior middle blocker, Sophie Davis, and kills by Davis and a kill by freshman setter Rebecca Watkins.

The Mountaineers rallied after a timeout, but could never quite recover that opening point differential. They pulled within two on a service ace by sophomore defensive specialist Kenady Roper, at 20-18, but that was as close as they could get.

Photographic image by David Rogers
SET THREE: APP 25-19

App State head coach Sarah Rumely Noble said after the match that between the second and third sets the conversation was about attacking.

“When we went into the locker room at the break, we just talked about being assertive. Any time that we applied pressure from our serve or what we were doing offensively, we could feel them kind of step back a little bit. We kept that assertiveness up in the third but we just couldn’t maintain it in the fourth.”

The teams battled point for point in the third until the Mountaineers captured eight of nine points to gain separation at 10-7, a run that included three monster kills by junior outside hitter Lulu Ambrose. With even more kills off the arms of COVID-19 senior McCall Denny, Winterhoff and Ambrose, as well as timely blocks by Winterhoff and Ambrose, the Mountaineers marched out to a seemingly insurmountable 22-11 lead.

But JMU wasn’t quite done. On seven consecutive points scored off of stuff blocks (Davis, Watkins) and kills by Davis, Watkins and Julia McNeley, the Dukes closed to within 23-19. App State put an end to the run to win the set, 25-19, on service and setting errors by the Dukes.

Photographic image by David Rogers
SET FOUR: JMU 25-21

James Madison got their “mojo” back in the decisive fourth set, winning six of the first eight points en route to an early, 13-5 advantage the Mountaineers could never overcome. They narrowed the gap late in the set with blocks and kills by Winterhoff and Denny, as well as a service ace by Winterhoff that shrunk the deficit to a single point at 20-19, but the Dukes picked up four of the last five points, with Veldman’s kill nailing the match shut at the end.

JMU and APP go at it again on Saturday (Sept. 23), at 1 p.m. in the Holmes Convocation Center.

“Everything has got to be assertive, all of the time,” said Rumely Noble about her team’s next day work. “The exciting thing for us is how hard our team always works. Our kids are locked in. They believe in what we are doing. We didn’t execute our best tonight but when we are executing at our best we are going to be a really fun team to play against.”

SELECTED STAT LEADERS

Kills

    • JMU – Mitte Veldman, 25
    • APP – McCall Denny, 12
    • JMU – Sophie Davis, 12
    • APP – Lulu Ambrose, 9

Assists

    • JMU – Rebecca Watkins, 50
    • APP – Katie Cruise, 16
    • APP – Sophie Cain, 14

Digs

    • APP – Kenady Roper, 16
    • JMU- Mitte Veldman, 16
    • JMU – Jaydyn Clemmer, 16
    • APP – McCall Denny, 13
    • JMU – Rebecca Watkins, 13
    • JMU – Julia McNeley, 10

Blocks

    • APP – Maya Winterhoff, 7
    • JMU – Sophie Davis, 5
    • APP – Lauren Pledger, 4
    • JMU – Rebecca Watkins, 4
    • APP – McCall Denny, 3
    • APP – Ava Leahy, 3
    • APP – Delanie Grevengoed, 3
    • JMU – Mitte Veldman, 3
BONUS PHOTOS

RedHawks swoop past Mountaineers, 4-1

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By Jacob Plecker for App State Sports. BOONE, N.C. — Bridget Donovan notched the first goal of her sophomore season in the fourth quarter on Sept. 22, but the App State Mountaineers (5-3, 1-1 MAC) fell 4-1 to the Miami RedHawks (6-3, 2-0 MAC) at Brandon & Erica M. Adcock Field.

The Mountaineer defense held the RedHawks to just 10 shots in the contest, with fifth-year goalkeeper Addie Clark saving four of those. Clark posted another shutout quarter in the game but saw her streak of consecutive games holding the opposition below three goals come to an end.

Donovan became the 10th Mountaineer to score a goal this season, coming off a stroke in the fourth quarter. With Donovan’s goal, 14 Mountaineers have recorded a point this season. App State leads the MAC Conference in points with 48.

Addie Clark’s four saves in Friday’s contest gives her 25  for the season and 230 for her career.

How it Happened

1st Quarter: Miami started the scoring, drawing the game’s first penalty corner in the fifth minute of play. Paula Peña Martinez recorded her third goal of the year off the corner. The Mountaineers came out aggressive early in the game, drawing two corners and firing two shots. Charlotte Bosma and Noa Ginjaume Matas each attempted a shot in the first 15 minutes, but each one wide of the mark. Miami added another score in the ninth minute of play after drawing a penalty stroke. Claudia Negrete Garcia was able to get the ball past Clark, giving the RedHawks a 2-0 lead  the first quarter’s end.

2nd Quarter: The Mountaineer defense turned up the pressure in the second quarter and held the RedHawks scoreless in the period. Miami drew just one corner opportunity in the period, with Clark picking up her first of four saves on the day on a Negrete Garcia shot attempt. App State maintained control of the ball for most of the second period but were unable to capitalize on any scoring chances. Miami kept the 2-0 lead into halftime.

3rd Quarter: App State came out of halftime aiming to break the Miami defense and generate scoring opportunities. Just three minutes into the period, the Mountaineers drew their third corner of the game, providing a good scoring opportunity. Charlotte Bosma took her second shot off the insert but fired it high. Later in the period, the RedHawks forced a turnover deep on the Mountaineers’ side of the field and Reese Wearren fought her way past the App State defenders and scored an unassisted goal to make it 3-0 Miami. Clark and the Mountaineer defense held out the rest of the period, stopping two more RedHawk shots to keep the Miami lead at 3-0 after 45 minutes of play.  Clark picked up her second save of the day on a shot attempt by Miami’s Carlie Servis.

4th Quarter: In the final quarter, the Mountaineers played outshot Miami, 4-3, and drew two penalty corners to Miami’s none. App State finally broke through on the scoreboard with Donovan’s goal and only five minutes left on the game clock. The goal was Donovan’s first of the season and sixth of her career.  Clark picked up two more saves in the fourth period to give her four on the day, but Miami was able to tally one more goal in the final stanza to round out RedHawk scoring for the contest. By day’s end, App State drew more penalty corners than Miami but couldn’t execute effectively, losing for the first time in the MAC this season.

App State’s next matchup is in Chapel Hill on Sept. 24, at nationally ranked (No. 2) North Carolina, with gametime slated for 12 noon.

VIDEO: Izewski, Pennell prepare to face world in Sept. 23 Berlin Marathon

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By David Rogers. BLOWING ROCK, N.C. — Both veterans of the Blowing Rock-based ZAP Endurance elite professional running team, Tyler Pennel and Josh Izewski will again take their talents onto the world stage this weekend for the Sept. 24 Berlin Marathon, in Germany.

Pennel, 35, dealt with nagging injuries off and on since the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials in Los Angeles where the eventual second place finisher Meb Keflezigh declared later, “Tyler made the race.” It was a soundbite that reverberated around the world after Pennel gamely broke out of the pack at Mile 13 and led by as much as 90 seconds until he was passed by Galen Rupp at Mile 19. Holding on for a fifth place finish, Pennel forced the pace and forced the frontrunners to respond, and earning international respect.

Pennel’s steady return to the world stage has been methodical, including a 1:05:25 in a Philadelphia half marathon on Sept. 18, 2022, and a respectable 2:12:16 marathon a few months later, at the Jan. 15,2023, Houston Marathon. In some “speed” training, on July 15, he finished No. 18 in the USA Men’s 8km Road Running Championships in Kingsport, Tenn., with a time of 24:23. He has twice finished in the top eight of a major marathon race.

ZAP Endurance teammate Josh Izewski, 33, had some outstanding earlier performances, but really burst onto the global stage earlier this year when he finished No. 5 in Australia’s Gold Coast Marathon, finishing the 26.2 mile distance in 2:11.26. That mark improved on his 2022 Houston Marathon time of 2:12:45, when he finished No. 8. He ran a 1:03:17 half marathon in Philadelphia a year ago.

ZAP Endurance head coach Pete Rea believes that Pennel and Izewski training together leading up to the Berlin race will help both of them, pushing each other and picking each other up where one might falter, running alone.

VIDEO OF THE ZAP DUO’S TRAINING FOR THE BERLIN MARATHON

Watauga nips South Caldwell, 2-1, in Northwestern Conference opener

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By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — A dink here, a doink there… In many respects, Watauga  Soccer’s 2-1 win over South Caldwell in the teams’ 2023 Northwestern Conference league opener could have gone either way. Although one team had to walk away the winner, the other in defeat, it was as entertaining of a high school soccer match as can be.

BONUS PHOTOS AT BOTTOM (click on any image for slideshow mode)

With just over a minute to go in the first half, the Pioneers’ senior striker Omolade Oguntoyinbo came down the right side on a breakaway sprint, a Spartan defender pressuring from behind. Closing in on the penalty box, the action drew the South Caldwell goalkeeper out, away from the net in hopes of smothering the attack, but Oguntoyinbo lofted a shot over the goalkeeper’s desperate hands, the ball bounding into the left side of the net. The Pioneer goal broke what had been a hard-fought, scoreless tie to that point.

The South Caldwell goalkeeper deflects a Watauga shot over the bar for a non-goal on Sept. 21 at Jack Groce Stadium. Photographic image by David Rogers.

Watauga seemed to control possession for much of the game but the Spartans fought back to score their own goal on a header past Pioneer goalkeeper Kyle Painter, who had several difficult, if not spectacular saves over the course of the evening.

Early in the second half, Watauga’s Ben Myers slipped the ball past the South Caldwell goalkeeper for the Pioneers’ second tally — and what proved to be the match’s difference maker. Jossue Galan Alcaraz was credited with the assist.

At time, the Pioneers seemed to pass up clear shot opportunities from inside the penalty box, choosing instead to continue working the ball closer to the goal with the space advantage quickly evaporating.

Pioneer head coach Josh Honeycutt acknowledged after the match that not finishing attack opportunities remains a team problem.

“They didn’t get that from me!” Honeycutt smiled, in response to his players’ seeming reluctance to shoot with an open opportunity. “I was shooting every time I got the chance! It is a combination of things, I think. They watch Premier League too much on TV. There, you move the ball around, pass to the open man and move the ball (closer and closer) until it is just a tap for a goal. We had multiple guys who got the ball in dangerous positions. They have got to put the ball on frame and do it early. At this level there is likely to be a rebound if the ball doesn’t go in and someone should be there to tap it in.

“There is no finding the slot, working the ball into the corners like we are supposed to do. We’re working on those things,” added Honeycutt. “Tonight, the South Caldwell goalkeeper played pretty well but we made him look a little better because we put the ball right to him. If we execute a little better on our finishing, he is going to have a more difficult time defending.”

Midfielder Andrew Hill maneuvers the ball around a South Caldwell defender on Sept. 21. Photographic image by David Rogers

Honeycutt also paid compliments to South Caldwell, acknowledging the improvements in their play.

“That was surprising,” said Honeycutt. “They were much better than I thought they would be. Compared to previous years, they were much more developed, demonstrated an ability to possess and move the ball around. Their coach has been there three or four years now, I think, so the freshmen and sophomores when he joined the program are now his junior and senior leaders and know what he expects. They are buying in. It takes time to rebuild.”

The Spartans’ head coach, Rick Pilato said, “Both teams played extremely well. It was a hard fought game. We have wanted to play at this level and have finally gotten there. Watauga is a very good team, a very strong team, and we are going to be looking forward to them coming down the mountain for the rematch, for sure.

Photographic image by David Rogers

“We played hard. They were giving it all they’ve got and, as a coach, that is all you can ask for,” said Pilato. “There were some unfortunate bounces. We had two off the post. Sometimes you play real well but don’t get lucky. Other times you may not play quite as well, but you get lucky. Watauga played well. We played well. It certainly could have been a 0-0 or 1-1 game, or even 3-3. We take the positives from that and make sure the next time we are a little bit better.”

After an intentionally grueling early season schedule vs. state playoffs caliber, non conference opponents, Watauga is now 3-8-1, and 1-0 in Northwestern Conference play. They will try to keep the NWC league record unblemished on Sept. 25, when they host Alexander Central, another 4A contender in the conference.

BONUS PHOTOS

Midfielder Andrew Hill maneuvers the ball around a South Caldwell defender on Sept. 21. Photographic image by David Rogers

Photographic image by David Rogers

Lade Oguntoyinbo lifts the ball over the goalkeeper;s head to score Watauga’s first goal vs. South Caldwell on Sept. 21. Photographic image by David Rogers