Two second half goals powered the Catawba Ridge boys’ soccer to a second round 5A Division II playoff win.
The Copperheads beat the TL Hanna Yellow Jackets 3-1 to improve to 15-5 on the season. They will now host Fort Mill on Wednesday, May 13 in round three with the winner going to the Upper State championship later next week.
“I’m proud of the boys,” said Catawba Ridge head coach Dr. Phillip McCarter. “When they got that PK, the guys kept their composure.”
Both teams seem pretty even in the early going despite the Yellow Jackets getting a couple early shots off within the first five minutes of play.
In the eighth minute, Catawba Ridge got a free kick dead on from about 40-yards out but didn’t convert.
In the 11th minute, a TL Hanna player was injured stopping the match until medical services had to arrive and cart him off the field with an upper body injury. About two minutes after play resumed, the Copperheads had a couple of shots on goal off a cross from Declan Hogan and then a lengthy free kick.
The consistent pressure by Catawba Ridge led to a breakthrough goal from Christian White in the 17th minute giving the Copperheads the lead.
In the 25th minute, Hogan got a penalty kick off a foul that went wide right for Catawba Ridge.
TL Hanna rocketed a shot with about six minutes remaining in the half.
The Yellow Jackets controlled possession more to start the second half, but it was a rogue penalty that set up another penalty kick by Hogan, who converted it this time at the 50-minute mark.
The match was a more 50/50 battle in the second half, but the Copperheads defense was still stronger within the Yellow Jackets 20. TL Hanna failed to convert on back-to-back corner kicks.
The Yellow Jackets scored in the 72nd minute of play off a penalty kick to pull within one score.
In the final two minutes, Hogan scored his second goal of the match to go up 3-1.
“We feel really good,” McCarter said. “Everyone is healthy. We need to fix some stuff and get ready for Wednesday.”
Mac Banks: mac@fortmillprepsports.com, @fortprep
