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Gryphons squander chance to upset Golden Demons

Posted On: Monday, April 11, 2016
By: Student Assistant

The emotions on the Rocky Mount High bench were complicated to decipher.

Mixed in with the general satisfaction of keeping Wilson Fike bottled up for most of the game was the disappointment in being unable to get a favorable result.

Despite being underdogs against the reigning Big East champions, the Gryphons dominated the action for most of the first half and let a few golden chances in the second half run away from them. In the end, the 3-1 defeat to the Golden Demons seemed both cruel and just.

“It was a very close game, we definitely could have gotten a draw or a win if some balls bounced our way,” coach Jordan Musselwhite said. ”I’m pleased with the game, not with the outcome, but with the game itself and how we performed.”

It took only 72 seconds for Fike to get on the board, taking advantage of the Gryphons’ vulnerable defense on a through ball that was easily deposited into the net by Emilee Futrell.

But after that score, Rocky Mount High began to pin the Golden Demons into their own defensive half. The pressure resulted in few scoring chances, but the structure was clearly there to potentially strike.

“From watching (Fike) a couple of times, I knew we could come in and keep the ball a little bit and go at their goal some,” Musselwhite said. ”It’s always nice to actually see it happen.”

The dam broke briefly when Fike coach Toni Varacchi made a few tactical adjustments with her team’s position late in the first half, resulting in two goals in three minutes. But the three first-half goals were also the only three shots Fike had in the first 40 minutes.

Sarah Bland scored the only goal for the Gryphons, answering the Golden Demons’ two goals with a tally just before halftime. However, she might be more preoccupied with the three shots she did not convert, any of which would have changed the tone of the game.

The junior had a low line-drive shot stopped in the first half that would have tied the game. In the second half, she was able to sneak past the Fike defense with a beautifully-timed run, but saw her far-post shot strike the post and bounce just out of the reach of freshman Katie Moss, who had made a run to that post. Just a few minutes later, Bland was once again on a breakaway with goalie Lexus Caster charging at her, and this time slotted her shot just wide of the post.

“We had plenty of chances, particularly in the second half when we had a lot of open goal situations with the keep coming out,” Musselwhite said. ”We just need to keep our composure and finish those.

“(Bland) is our finisher, I don’t know if it was nerves or if the keep coming out threw her off a bit, but she’s a good player, she’ll get it down. If we get those same opportunities again, her being the player she is, I expect that she’ll finish them.”

Wilson Fike 3

Rocky Mount High 1

Goals: WF — Emilee Futrell (2’), Elery Williams (33’ and 35’); RMH — Sarah Bland (37’);

Shots: WF — 11 (5 on target); RMH — 10 (6 on target);

Saves: Lexus Caster (WF) — 4; Ty Arrington (RMH) — 2;

Corner Kicks: WF — 2; RMH — 0;

 

by Josh Walfish
Sports Writer for Rocky Mount Telegram

Tuesday, April 5, 2016

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