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The whistle sounded to open the match and time stood still for the West Rowan Falcons.
South, meanwhile, hit for two goals in the first 98 seconds to end the game before it even started. After playing out the final 78 minutes, the Raiders owned a 6-1 win and a date in Thursday’s championship of the Rowan County Boys Soccer Tournament.
“They had some bad luck in the first two minutes and it’s tough to come back from that,”said South coach Sean Szakal, whose team will play Salisbury in the title match.“When goals drop that quick you start to see heads drop.”
South’s first march downfield ended in a goal when NickThomas’ long throw-in from the corner went over keeper Greg Lowe, bounced around in the box and finally trickled in off Matt Biles’ foot.
Less than a minute later, Thomas got the first of his three goals. He beat a host of defenders down the left side of the field, then launched a right-footed shot from 18 yards out that nestled into the far right corner to make it 2-0.
“They just went downhill from there and we kept going,”Thomas said. “At halftime they picked it up some, but it was too late by then.”
Lowe helped the dispirited Falcons avoid an even worse start with several key saves, but South’s relentless attack kept chipping away. Sweeper Dustin Efird got into the act in the 27th minute when he launched a low shot from 20 yards out that skidded past Lowe.
In the closing minutes of the half, Henry Menjivar sent a high cross to the left side of the box that Thomas headed in for a 4-0 lead. Thomas completed the hat trick off a long throw-in from Neal Roberts when he got the ball out of the crowd and put it in the back of the net.
“I don’t think they expected the long throw-ins like that,”said Thomas, a senior. “We haven’t practiced it a whole lot, but a bunch of the guys just knew to get in there and crash.”
South’s final goal came on the same kind of play. Roberts’ long throw this time found Derrick Beaver from about two yards away.
“Corner kicks, throw-ins and free kicks,”Szakal said. “We really made them pay for not getting the ball out quick enough.”
West ruined Jesse Eldred’s shutout midway through the second half when the Falcons got tripped up in the box and took advantage of the free kick. Carlos Arosemena gave BrianArmada a touch pass in deep and Armada sent it in.
Eldred didn’t have a prayer on that shot, but he came up with some big saves earlier in the game. He turned Arosemena away in the first half when West still had a shot at getting back in the game. Another Falcon scoring chance went just over the cross bar after a corner kick.
“The goalkeeper made two excellent saves and the defense played excellent,”Szakal said. “Offensively we worked pretty well together, but we can be a lot better. We didn’t put it to each other like I feel we can.”
The offense appeared to run smoothly much of the night despite having practiced just eight days. Efird spent his summer playing with the U.S.A. Southeast Regional Olympic Development team, while Thomas played in England.
But Menjivar, Phillip Riley and NathanBurgess teamed with those two to make the South offense look in perfect rhythm, outshooting West 14-4.
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NOTES: The Raiders stayed and watched some of the North-Salisbury match before the Hornets scored three goals to take control of the game. … The Falcons and Cavaliers will play for third place at 5 p.m. on Thursday.
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