By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Visiting St. Stephens turned away a number of Watauga assaults on their goal, Oct. 27 — but not all of them. With superb ball control in the rainy conditions, the Pioneers’ men’s soccer team secured their last regular season victory, 2-0, to remain undefeated in Northwestern 6A/7A Conference play.
The overall team defense was outstanding, limiting the Indians to negligible scoring threats of their own. Meanwhile, Watauga came away with a goal in each half:
- 1st Half: 27:35 – Asher Hampton, tapped along the ground into the net after a cross from the left side by Evan Mawhinney.
- Second Half: 26:26 – Evan Mawhinney breaks down the center after a midfield through pass from Asher Hampton. As the goalkeeper comes out, Mawhinney pushes ball out right past a diving goalkeeper, then slams the ball into the net from about 15 yards out.
Now the Pioneers await news of the state playoffs’ seeding for the NCHSAA 6A West bracket.
At 15-3-3, the Pioneers are ranked No. 4 in the 6A classification for all of North Carolina, behind No. 1 Charlotte Catholic, No. 2 Middle Creek (Apex), and No. 3 A.C. Reynolds (Asheville). Seven of the top 10-ranked teams are in the strong 6A West division. Of the top four, only Middle Creek is in the 6A East. The 6A West representative in the ultimate championship game will likely have survived strong challenges from the beginning of Round 1 to the end.
