By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — In and amongst a great defensive battle between two really good high school soccer teams, No. 4-seeded Watauga managed to scrape together a goal in the second half to break a scoreless deadlock on Nov. 9, then hung on to defeat No. 29-seeded Palisades (Charlotte) and advance in the NCHSAA 4A West bracket, to Round 2.
On a well-placed corner kick by wing Quincy Honeycutt that was flicked on by striker Asher Hampton, fellow striker Curtis Sevensky powered a shot by the Pumas’ goalkeeper and put the home team in front at Jack Groce Stadium.
Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
“We played excellent defensively and Jude Jackson, our goalkeeper, made a couple of really amazing saves,” said Pioneer head coach Josh Honeycutt after the game. “This was a battle between two really good teams and we had to dig deep to grind out this win. It was truly a team effort and I am really proud of these boys for their heart, tenacity and resilience.”
The first half started out with Watauga dominating possession, at least in the early going, but Palisades battled back and created their own attack opportunities. Only brilliant defensive play on both ends of the field saved the matchup from being a high-scoring affair. Both teams got good looks and good shots. They were just turned away.
4A WEST BRACKET SCORES, ROUND 1
- No. 1 West Forsyth def. No. 32 South Caldwell, 9-0
- No. 17 Charlotte Catholic def. No. 16 East Forsyth, 3-0
- No. 8 Asheville def. No. 25 RJ Reynolds, 3-1
- No. 24 Hough def. No. 9 Hopewell, 2-1
- No. 5 Northwest Guilford def. No. 28 Glenn, 7-0
- No. 21 South Mecklenburg def. No. 12 Ardrey Kell, 2-0
- No. 13 Ragsdale def. No. 20 Mount Tabor, 2-1
- No. 4 Watauga def. No. 29 Palisades, 1-0
- No. 30 AL Brown def. No. 3 Lake Norman, 3-2
- No. 14 Grimsley def. No. 19 Porter Ridge, 1-1 (penalty kicks)
- No. 6 Marvin Ridge def. No. 27 Parkland, 6-0
- No. 11 Cox Mill def. No. 22 Providence, 0-0 (penalty kicks)
- No. 7 Garinger def. No. 26 Alexander Central, 3-1
- No. 23 Mooresville def. No. 10 Reagan, 4-2
- No. 15 Hickory Ridge def. No. 18 Weddington, 3-0
- No. 2 Myers Park def. No. 31 West Cabarrus, 7-1
OTHER SCORES OF INTEREST
- 3A West – No. 4 Hibriten def. No. 29 Carson, 3-0
- 3A West – No. 11 Hickory def. No. 22 West Henderson, 2-1
- 3A West – No. 3 South Point vs. No. 30 Ashe County, not yet reported
- 1A West – No. 3 Avery County def. No. 30 Draughn, 3-1
