Sanderson boys soccer
Sanderson's Jackson Parker (13) and Wakefield's Jay Williams collide mid-air, battling for a jump ball. While Williams won the ball, the Spartans took the victory, winning 3-1.
Spartans continue success
in conference opener
Wakefield faces short layoff, playing Millbrook Wednesday
Six minutes into Tuesday's Cap-7 Conference soccer opener at Wakefield, Sanderson forward Glenn Scott did what he's done all season: find the net.
Off a J.P. Rafferty pass, Scott shook himself open, and despite losing his balance, still netted the goal — his 11th of the season — in the corner of the far post.
The senior explained jumping out early eased some of the tension in Tuesday's match, which Sanderson eventually won 3-1. Because both squads entered the contest unbeaten, the game had the air of not just an conference kickoff, but a playoff match-up.
"We were able to take control of the game a little bit, and settle things down," Scott said.
Although both teams came within striking distance, Rafferty and Scott each nearly tallied goals and Wakefield's Vince Cervantez almost connected from long distance on at least two occasions, the game stood still at 1-0 through intermission.
Wakefield coach Scott Sloan later admitted the early deficit hurt his squad's ability to control the run of play.
"We don't have a lot of depth, and it is very important that we score the first goal so we can dictate the style of play," he said. "We can dictate the subbing patterns as well. But we get down early, that changes everything we do."
Whatever chances of a Wolverine comeback evaporated in the 52nd minute, when Rafferty set up a second Scott goal, giving Sanderson a 2-0 advantage.
"The longer the game went, and the longer we went without a scoring opportunity, you could feel the anxiety building up," Sloan said.
"And, obviously, after they got that second one, everything really deflated after that."
The Spartans tacked on another goal less than six minutes later as Taylor Wyatt fed senior Nick Cioffi, leading to a 3-0 lead.
Shooting video is all about being in the right place at the right time, and I was about 110 yards away from each of Sanderson's three goals Tuesday. Obviously, not a great way to shoot video. But we have footage of Sanderson keeper Matt Boyd making a sliding save and Wakefield's Ryan Metts converting a penalty kick.
Wakefield's Ryan Metts, awarded a penalty kick, tallied the Wolverines' lone goal with 18:46 remaining, tucking a goal just inside the post on Sanderson keeper Matt Boyd.
It was Boyd's lone blemish during an otherwise outstanding match.
"Their keeper was phenomenal tonight," Sloan said of Boyd."We had four or five golden opportunities in the first half. And to his credit, he did a great job."
Although Sanderson suffered a disappointing 1-1 tie at Southeast Raleigh last week, head coach Todd Worley explained there was a positive in the setback, which affected Tuesday's outcome.
"The good news about the Southeast Raleigh game was it gave us time to reflect on things we need to do better," he said. "I really didn't think we were penetrating the defense enough, and that was our focus during our last two practices — going at their defenders.
"And tonight, I thought we were very good attacking with numbers and attacking with the ball."
Though Worley admitted the Spartans seemed to let up following Scott's first goal, a bad habit the squad has suffered from early this season.
"The funny thing is we aren't playing well after we score," the coach said. "That's something we will have to work on."
A veteran-laden squad, Scott lauded the play of the Spartans' younger players for helping Sanderson's 7-0-1 record this season.
"We have a lot of good young players — especially sophomores — and if they keep stepping up like they have, we can do good things," the senior said. "Having those young guys come through is a big help."
Sanderson's Dylan Ejlali (left) and Wakefield's Davis Edwards race to gain possession Tuesday.
Sloan explained he was pleased with the number of opportunities the Wolverines created, but the squad just couldn't convert them into points. He also added he's still like to see the Wolverines share the ball more a little more.
"If you look at the score tomorrow you are going to think that Sanderson just completely outplayed us," he said. "But a box score doesn't tell the whole story. It was a good game for our boys."
But when asked later for good individual performances, Sloan took the opportunity to pass a comment to the other side, "The standouts wore the blue jerseys tonight."
Wakefield doesn't have much time to mull over the defeat, scheduled to face Millbrook Wednesday, Sept. 9. The Wildcats played Broughton Tuesday, falling 2-0.
Sanderson also returns to action Wednesday, hosting Cardinal Gibbons in a non-conference contest.
"We don't have to sit around and think of this game," Sloan explained of the benefits of a heavy schedule. "We don't have to come back to practice, and carry this game with us. In essence, that's a positive to get the boys back on the field.
"This loss is disheartening but not disappointing because this is just game No. 1. Nobody in our conference is going to go undefeated. If this ends up being one of just a few losses, that's OK. It was a good loss to a good team."
