RALEIGH – Four championships will be decided Saturday in the
annual North Carolina High School Athletic Association’s state men’s soccer
championships at Dail Soccer Field on the campus of North Carolina State
University.
The championship weekend, which includes two schools from
Onslow County, will start with the 4-A final on Saturday morning at 11:05,
followed by the 1-A at 2:05 p.m. and the 3-A final at 5:05 p.m. The final game
of the quadrupleheader will be the 2-A contest, starting at 8:05 p.m. This will
be the 12th year for four separate classified championships.
All four of the games will be televised by Time Warner Cable
and available on Carolina on Demand, digital channel 199 or 1047 on Time Warner
systems across the state, within a couple of days after the championships.
Saturday's first game, the 4-A classification final, is a
rematch of last year's championship match as Cary Green Hope (23-2) takes on
Charlotte Myers Park (20-3). Green Hope took last year's title 2-1 in overtime.
Hussein Ali leads Myers Park, which is in its sixth state
championship, with 24 goals, and the Mustangs have won their last three playoff
matches by shutout. Green Hope is in the finals for the fourth time and the
Falcons won their first state title last year.
The 1-A contest kicks off at 2:05 and sends Southwest Onslow
(13-2-2) against Lake Norman Charter (19-3-1), two teams in the state final for
the first time.
The Stallions of Southwest, with senior Nicholas Matics in
goal, have yielded only 13 goals all season long. Senior Austin Tausch is the
leading scorer with 24 goals. Lake Norman Charter has won eight straight since
a loss to Gastonia Ashbrook and the Knights are led by Southern Piedmont
Conference Player of the Year Taylor Easley.
Jacksonville (25-1) will tangle with Hickory (27-1) in the
5:05 p.m. game for the 3-A title. Jacksonville is an explosive squad, with the
Cardinals outscoring their opposition a whopping 36-4 in the playoffs this
season. Carlos Sevilla, who scored the only goal of the game in Hickory's
regional win over Charlotte Catholic, leads Hickory and was the Northwestern
Conference Player of the Year.
Both Jacksonville and Hickory are in the finals for the
fourth time.
Cuthbertson (22-3-2) and Carrboro (18-6-3) will square off
in the final game of the day, an 8:05 p.m. start for the 2-A title. The
Cavaliers are in the finals for the first time, with senior Obi Collins and
junior Evan Martinez leading the way.
Carrboro defeated Jordan-Matthews 2-1 on Wednesday night in
the regional final to advance. Carrboro is back for the second straight year,
having lost to Salisbury in last year's championship.
Thar Thwai is the Jaguar leader, as he was the Carolina 12
Player of the Year.
Tickets will be eight dollars at the gate. The Raleigh
Sports Consortium serves as a host city sponsor for these championships, along
with the city of Raleigh and the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors’
Bureau.
NORTH CAROLINA HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION
2012 STATE MEN’S SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIPS
Dail Soccer Field, North Carolina State University
Saturday, November 17
Class 4-A--11:05 am
Green Hope High
School Falcons (23-2)
vs.
Myers Park High
School Mustangs (20-3)
Class 1-A--2:05 pm
Southwest Onslow High
School Stallions (13-2-2)
vs.
Lake Norman Charter
High School Knights (19-3-1)
Class 3-A--5:05 pm
Jacksonville High
School Cardinals (25-1)
vs.
Hickory High School
Red Tornadoes (27-1)
Class 2-A--8:05 pm
Carrboro High School
Jaguars (18-6-3)
vs.
Cuthbertson High
School Cavaliers (22-3-2)
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