Jeff Cunningham
05-10-2007, 09:55 PM
Hickory boys clinch Southeastern District
By Jeff Cunningham | jcunningham@hrvarsity.com (j_cunningham_pbp@yahoo.com)
CHESAPEAKE -- The Hickory boys soccer team went into Oscar Smith High School Thursday night on a mission. The objective? Wrap up the Southeastern District regular-season title and clinch the top seed in the district tournament.
The Hawks did just that, beating Oscar Smith 3-1 in a performance that saw Hickory outshoot the Tigers 14-5.
"All I wanted our guys to do tonight was match (Oscar Smith's) energy," Hickory coach Eric Blackmore said. "I knew we had enough talent to win, it was just a matter of matching their energy and intensity level."
Not only did Hickory (12-1-2, 7-0 district) match Oscar Smith's energy, the Hawks surpassed it in the first half. The Hawks' first goal came on a corner with 13:22 remaining in the first half. Midfielder David Meadows curved the ball into the goal box, where Stephen Restaino used his head to push the ball into the net.
Sophomore midfielder Aaron Jones followed that just over three minutes later with a goal of his own, scoring unassisted from the left side of the pitch.
Hickory went into the half with a 2-0 lead.
"We came out flat in the first half," Tigers coach Brandon Spontak said. "I didn't make any adjustments at halftime, just told the guys to pick up the energy, and I thought we did a much better job of matching Hickory in the second half."
Because of Oscar Smith's renewed energy, Hickory only managed five second-half shots, but Stephen Holmes scored unassisted in the 54th minute to give Hickory a 3-0 and effectively put the match out of reach.
Forward Matt Walker scored for Oscar Smith (11-2-2, 5-1-1) with 2:39 to play, but the match had been well decided by that point.
Hickory, the two-time defending district champion, locked up the top seed in the Southeastern District tournament with one regular-season match remaining -- a home date with Great Bridge on Tuesday. With that match coinciding with Senior Night, Blackmore said it was crucial for his team to lock up the crown early.
"Oh, it's huge," he said. "Senior Night's a big deal for us, a lot of emotion. And for us to lock up the top seed on our main rival's pitch, that's just special."
"Hickory's a quality team," Spontak added. "They're number one in the district for a reason."
Hickory 3, Oscar Smith 1
Halftime-- Hickory 2-0. Goals-- Hickory, Restaino, Jones, Holmes; Oscar Smith, Walker. Assists-- Hickory, Meadows. Shots-- Hickory 14, Oscar Smith 5. Saves-- Hickory, Coogan 2; Oscar Smith, Brittain 7. Records-- Hickory 12-1-2, 7-0 Southeastern. Oscar Smith 11-2-2, 5-1-1 Southeastern.
By Jeff Cunningham | jcunningham@hrvarsity.com (j_cunningham_pbp@yahoo.com)
CHESAPEAKE -- The Hickory boys soccer team went into Oscar Smith High School Thursday night on a mission. The objective? Wrap up the Southeastern District regular-season title and clinch the top seed in the district tournament.
The Hawks did just that, beating Oscar Smith 3-1 in a performance that saw Hickory outshoot the Tigers 14-5.
"All I wanted our guys to do tonight was match (Oscar Smith's) energy," Hickory coach Eric Blackmore said. "I knew we had enough talent to win, it was just a matter of matching their energy and intensity level."
Not only did Hickory (12-1-2, 7-0 district) match Oscar Smith's energy, the Hawks surpassed it in the first half. The Hawks' first goal came on a corner with 13:22 remaining in the first half. Midfielder David Meadows curved the ball into the goal box, where Stephen Restaino used his head to push the ball into the net.
Sophomore midfielder Aaron Jones followed that just over three minutes later with a goal of his own, scoring unassisted from the left side of the pitch.
Hickory went into the half with a 2-0 lead.
"We came out flat in the first half," Tigers coach Brandon Spontak said. "I didn't make any adjustments at halftime, just told the guys to pick up the energy, and I thought we did a much better job of matching Hickory in the second half."
Because of Oscar Smith's renewed energy, Hickory only managed five second-half shots, but Stephen Holmes scored unassisted in the 54th minute to give Hickory a 3-0 and effectively put the match out of reach.
Forward Matt Walker scored for Oscar Smith (11-2-2, 5-1-1) with 2:39 to play, but the match had been well decided by that point.
Hickory, the two-time defending district champion, locked up the top seed in the Southeastern District tournament with one regular-season match remaining -- a home date with Great Bridge on Tuesday. With that match coinciding with Senior Night, Blackmore said it was crucial for his team to lock up the crown early.
"Oh, it's huge," he said. "Senior Night's a big deal for us, a lot of emotion. And for us to lock up the top seed on our main rival's pitch, that's just special."
"Hickory's a quality team," Spontak added. "They're number one in the district for a reason."
Hickory 3, Oscar Smith 1
Halftime-- Hickory 2-0. Goals-- Hickory, Restaino, Jones, Holmes; Oscar Smith, Walker. Assists-- Hickory, Meadows. Shots-- Hickory 14, Oscar Smith 5. Saves-- Hickory, Coogan 2; Oscar Smith, Brittain 7. Records-- Hickory 12-1-2, 7-0 Southeastern. Oscar Smith 11-2-2, 5-1-1 Southeastern.