RALEIGH – Green Hope scored the only goals of the game in
the final 14 minutes as the Falcons won their second consecutive North Carolina
High School Athletic Association state 4-A men's soccer championship, beating
Charlotte Myers Park 2-0 at Dail Soccer Field at North Carolina State
University on Saturday afternoon.
The contest was a rematch of last year's 4-A state
championship, in which Green Hope prevailed 2-1 in overtime.
Green Hope senior goalkeeper Sam Bissette, a 6-4 junior who
made six saves and a couple of the spectacular variety, was named the
championship Most Valuable Player. He helped keep Myers Park at bay, especially
in the first half when the Mustangs seemed to have the edge in play, and then
secured two saves on point-blank shots in the second half.
Green Hope captain Joshua Kennedy finally broke the
scoreless tie in the 66th minute off an assist from Cole Dixon to
give the Falcons a 1-0 lead. Then in the game's final two minutes with Myers
Park pressing forward, Zack Compton got loose on a breakaway and put it in near
post to secure the victory. Compton had come on as a sub in the second half.
The Falcons had eight shots on goal to seven for Myers Park,
and the Falcons had two corner kick opportunities to one for the Mustangs.
The Falcons finished with a record of 24-2 and won their
second NCHSAA crown in four trips to the championship match. Myers Park ended
the year 20-4, with the Mustangs making their third consecutive appearance in
the finals and sixth overall. Myers Park won its only soccer title in 2008.
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.
SCORING
66th minute
GH--Joshua Kennedy (Cole Dixon)
78th minute
GH--Zack Compton
.png)
