GDS 2 Fayetteville 2
Bad luck, wet conditions and two mistimed lightning strikes cost Greensboro Day a chance to seal a boys soccer victory over the No. 2-ranked 2-A private school in the state, Fayetteville Academy.Instead the Bengals were forced to accept a 2-2 tie in a rain-shortened 60-minute game at Greensboro Day.
``I think we were lucky to save a tie today,' said Eagles coach Jimmy Maher. ``Greensboro Day looked like the better team out there.'
The game was stopped twice due to lightning strikes, including the final stoppage in the 61st minute that came seconds after Fayetteville tied the game on a free kick from senior Bobby Maloney.
Maloney sent the ball to the far post from about 25 yards out, and somewhere in between the bodies in front and the wet conditions, Bengals keeper Hansen Grider lost sight of the ball and it found the back of the net.
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'I think that was a great play by (the Eagles),' said GDS coach Danny Wright. ``Why not drive the ball toward the post in the rain? It ended up working out for them.'
The goal finished the scoring at 2-2, and after a 10 minute stoppage, the game was called by the referees due to unsafe conditions.
``I feel very unlucky walking off with a tie,' Wright said. ``We had two chances we should have put away and in the end they cost us the game.'
GDS jumped out to an early 2-0 lead after goals in the 24th and 25th minute. Junior Yoshi Kato opened the scoring on a nifty misdirection play. Kato bolted toward the goal as the play seemed to be heading in the other direction, and teammate Michael Evans played a through pass right to his foot that left him alone with Eagles goalkeeper Kevin Glaser, who he beat with a line drive kick.
``That was the best teamwork goal we have scored all season,' Wright said. ``Michael just played that ball perfectly, and Yoshi had all day to shoot.'
GDS added a second goal a minute later when Dillard Williams tapped home a header from Zach Strabel. The Eagles answered in the 28th minute when Ryan Barbaro slid a rebound into the net.
