Our Cougars started off rather slow, maybe due to the 50 degree temperatures and brisk wind, as Avery dominated the first 8-9 mintues. That time period saw the Cougars called for multiple fouls and Avery had several chances to score. Timely defending and good goalkeeping kept Avery off the scoreboard.
Into the later 15 mintues, Luke was driving the ball upfield when he was fouled. The ref awarded the free kick and Martine drove the ball toward the goal. The ball eventually fell to Gabriel who punched past the Avery keeper to put the Cougars up 1-0. This goal defiitely settled Yancey down as the Cougars began to dominate possession and field position.
In the last 5 minutes of the half, the Cougars were awarded another free kick, resulting from an Avery foul. The ball was spotted on the Cougars' half of the field. Once again Martine launched a monster kick toward the Avery goal. One of the Avery defenders headed the ball down but Gerardo was able to get a foot on to beat the keeper, making the score 2-0 Yancey, which the Cougars took into the half.
Mr. Powell huddled the team outside of the field house, trying to find some relief from the wind.
The second half started much like the first, with Avery pressing and the officials awarding them numerous free kicks. Nester played solid goalie and kept the ball out of the back of the net several times.
As time wore on, the Cougars again began to dominate possession and field position. All the boys were playing hard, fighting for 50-50 balls. Avery needs to evaluate their program when playing home games. They provided one ball boy, who stayed on the team's side of the field. No one was patrolling the opposite side and no one was patrolling the ends. The Cougars were able to burn valuable minutes simply by retrieving balls that had been kicked out of bounds. Overall, Yancey dominated the second half and our guys erupted in cheers as the horn sounded and the ref blew the final whistle.
Final score - Yancey 2, Avery 0.
This team carried on the tradition of excellence that is Yancey Middle School soccer. They represented their school and themselves well with hard work and determination. The Cougars play two additional non-conference games next week when they travel to Apple Valley and Asheville Christian Academy.
Well Done Yancey!!!
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Once again, Luke played with determination and pride. He fought for possession, carried the ball up field several times, set up his teammates with good passes and played hard defense, stopping several potential runs.
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