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Wakefield boys soccer Wakefield's Zack Spence (left) collides with Durham Jordan's Eddie Mwangi during the Wolverines' 2-0 loss in the first round of the 4-A NCHSAA state playoffs Tuesday night.
Wolverines fall to Jordan in first round November 4, 2009 By Tommy Kopetskie, NorthRaleighSports.com
There is a certain symmetry in knowing the Wakefield soccer team's season came alive — and ended — with Durham Jordan.
Five weeks before Tuesday night's 2-0 loss to the Falcons in the first round of the NCHSAA state playoffs, the Wolverines were trudging through a disheartening 1-5-1 stretch, teetering on the brink of a dismal season.
It was Sept. 28, and Wakefield was scheduled to host Jordan — ranked No. 1 in the state both then and now. Alas rainy weather forced a cancellation, which led to Wakefield head coach Scott Sloan giving a spirited locker room speech.
Basically, it was figurative kick in the butt for his underachieving squad. And the talk worked.
The Wolverines rallied to tie Sanderson two days later and the squad went on to capture four consecutive victories.
Click here for highlights of the first-match between Wakefield and Durham Jordan.
Without the rainout against the Falcons — and subsequent Sloan pep talk — the Wolverines might not make the playoffs.
Although the playoff bracket did Wakefield no favors sending it to Jordan (20-0), the top seed in the PAC-6 Conference.
Sloan knew the odds weren't in his squad's favor, but explained the Wolverines had a chance. The proof? Jordan and Wakefield squared off Oct. 22, and the Wolverines pushed the Falcons, falling 1-0 late.
"One of two things had to happen for us [to win]," Sloan said. "We had to score first. Or else we had to hold them."
Unfortunately for the Wolverines, Nolan Cain converted following a Jordan corner kick in the 10th minute, squashing any hopes of an early Wakefield lead.
Sloan explained the Falcons seemed to settle in following the goal.
"You could see that the pressure was taken off of them," he said. "Last time we played them, when we got down to 13, 14 minutes left — still 0-0 — and Jordan seemed rushed, and they panicked a little.
"But once they got their first goal tonight, they were just knocking the ball around well. And they possessed the ball beautifully."
Although Jordan controlled possession, the Falcon's one-goal advantage didn't grow for nearly 50 minutes as Wakefield hung close. Though an offsides penalty negated a Jordan second-half score.
With less than 16 minutes remaining, Joaquin Del Rosariods finally tallied another Falcon goal, putting the game out of reach.
Asked if facing Jordan in the regular season, less than two weeks prior to their playoff match-up, hurt his team's chances of pulling an upset, Sloan answered honestly, saying "Absolutely." Then he joked "that's why we were hoping for another rainout."
Sloan said he was pleased with the Wolverines' effort playing a quality opponent.
"You want to play the best, and it doesn't matter if it's the first round or the fourth or fifth round," he said.
Tuesday's loss marks the end of a dozen Wolverines' high school careers.
Ryan Metts, Will Rogers, Vince Cervantez, Kevin Kotecki, Street Johnson, Jay Williams, Greg Judge, Sam Kropf, Hunter Frank, Alex de Groot, Ben Luther and Chris Bostian all played their final game.
Sloan explained he will have fond memories from this year's senior group.
"These guys were my first freshman group when I started, and most of them have played four years for me," he said. "I am very proud of every single one of them."
The group had a lot of "team-character guys," Sloan added. "They put everything they could into every single moment. And after the game, you could see it in some of their eyes just how much playing in high school meant to them."
