|
Smoky Mountain players and coaches celebrate after defeating Enka 2-1 last week to tie for the Western Athletic Conference soccer championship and earn a spot in the state 3-A playoffs. Team members include, from left: (front) Munene Mwaniki, Daniel Thorp, Will Peoples, Cory Carpenter, Michael Tennant, Matt Taylor and Stephen Brown; (back) assistant coach Bob Carpenter, Peter Gilman, Silas Webb, Damon Houghton, Josh Hamilton, David Leonard, Jose Vives, Chris Tennant, Josh Fuller, Dan White, Nicholas McDonald, Jimmy Welch, Israel Vargas, Aaron Buchanan and Coach Dolphus Brown."Obviously, we're excited," Coach Dolphus Brown said. "I had forgotten how much fun it is. We had a run of going every year for awhile. After a three-year absence, it sure is sweet to be back."The Mustangs are seeded eighth while the Bulldogs (17-3-2) are seeded ninth. Trinity is the runner-up from the Tri-County Conference and ranked ninth among 3-A schools by the N.C. Soccer Coaches Association. The winner will be on the road Saturday against top-seeded Asheville (21-0-1) or 16th seeded St. Stephens (15-7-2). If SM reaches the quarterfinals on Wednesday, Nov. 8, the game would be home. Possible opponents include Wilkes Central, Hickory, Sun Valley and Roberson. "I hope we'll be able to maintain the momentum," Brown said. "We're obviously the hottest team in the conference." The Mustangs picked an excellent time to take their first win ever over Enka. They had lost the previous 12 meetings. The Jets suffered their first conference loss in three seasons. "It was one of the greatest games I've ever been involved with," Brown said. "The crowd was unbelievable." Blake Cloninger gave the Jets a quick lead with a goal at the 3:40 mark. Brown said there was a lot of action in the box, and Will Peoples made a save but was unable to wrap the ball up allowing Cloninger the chance to put it in the net. The Mustangs tied it at the 10:48 mark when Israel Vargas scored with an assist from Jimmy Welch. The ball was played in to Welch, who headed it to Vargas. "Israel was unmarked and shot it from 12 yards," Brown said. "The keeper dove for it but dove too soon." The game was stopped with eight minutes remaining in the half due to lightning. Although the lightning did not appear that close, Brown said officials wanted to be safe. The delay lasted some 40 minutes. Midway through the second half, Franklin's players arrived from their victory at Tuscola. Knowing Franklin had won, the Mustangs knew they had to win to reach the playoffs. A loss or tie would have sent the Panthers to the post season. "I think that really inspired our players," Brown said. "We controlled the game in the second half." The Jets were dominant in the first half by getting off 13 shots to SM's five. Things changed after intermission with the Mustangs taking 10 shots to seven by Enka. For the game, the Jets had 20 shots and SM 15. The game-winning goal came from Jose Vives at the 70:30 mark. Vives had a breakaway with keeper Adam Poss coming out and diving for the ball. Vives managed to tap the ball over Poss, and it rolled into the net. Peoples recorded 15 saves, and Poss had seven. "Will stepped up big for us," Brown said. "Jimmy Welch had an excellent game, and Nicholas McDonald played very well. If there ever has been a total team effort, it was this game." The Mustangs were 3-2-1 in the first half of the conference season but went undefeated the rest of the way. "We knew after the first round through the conference we would just about have to run the table," Brown said. "Obviously, it turned out that way." The Mustang JVs finished 9-2-3 after a 5-2 victory. Eric McManus scored three of the goals while Will West and Willie Mojica had one each. They went 8-0-2 against WAC teams for the unofficial conference championship. "They were excited going into it being the last game of the season," Coach Chris Griffin said. "We definitely wanted to stay undefeated in the conference. We came out very aggressive and played a solid game." He said winning the conference was a goal set in the pre-season. "I feel we had a very successful year, not only in wins and losses but also in developing skills and playing as a team." Griffin said. |