Hunt stuns Fike 3-1

Sept. 30--Prior to Monday's 3-A Big East Conference showdown with archrival Fike, Hunt High varsity boys soccer head coach Scott Summers had a conversation with sophomore co-captain Cooper Dean.

"Before the game, I said 'Cooper, I want you to get two goals today.' I said. 'You're due for a goal.'

"He's had plenty of chances to finish, and today, he scored them when they counted the most."

Indeed, he did.

Dean's two goals helped his Warriors stun the Demons, ranked No. 5 among state 3-A teams by North Carolina Soccer Coaches Association, 3-1. The win boosted Hunt to 9-3 overall and allowed the Warriors to conclude the first half of Big East play at 4-1 and in first place. Fike, 3-1 in Big East play, lost for just the second time in 12 matches. The Demons still have to play Northern Nash twice after the first scheduled meeting in Rocky Mount on Sept. 24 was rained out.

A fairly even 61-plus minutes of soccer between the bitter foes turned in Hunt's favor in the 62nd minute when Dean corralled a poor pass out of the Fike defensive third. He didn't require a lot of time to gather it in, supplying the finish off the right side past junior Golden Demons keeper Matt Brown for the first goal of the match. Less than two minutes later, Dean supplied the second tally on a rainy, damp Fike pitch.

"It was a great game played by both sides," Dean reviewed. "Fike did a great job. We just picked our moments, and we finished well."

Both teams took 16 shots, with Fike owning a 7-4 advantage in shots on frame.

Just before Dean's first goal, the Demons had a pair of opportunities to strike first themselves. In the 57th minute, a strong header in the box off a corner kick sailed wide right, and with 20:30 remaining, Fike senior Derek Collins took a hard shot in the box that was saved by Hunt junior keeper Tristin Smith, one of his six saves.

Yet Fike wouldn't suffer a shutout on its home field. With 9:52 to go, junior Jamil Gracia dribbled into the Hunt penalty area and administered a superb strike past Smith. The Demons now trailed 2-1, and owned the momentum. Senior Gray Leary tried to bring Fike level with his strike in the box with 5:36 remaining, but Smith was able to make the save at the far post.

However, Hunt was able to add its insurance goal with 3:10 to go. Sophomore Juan Anguiano dribbled down the right side and tried to chip the ball over Brown in a one-on-one scenario. Even though the ball struck the post, Anguiano was able to follow his own miss and pound the ball into an open net.

"The first (goal), just a simple, fundamental mistake," first-year Fike head coach Chris Mizelle said. "They had a good finish. The second one, give them all the credit in the world -- that was a great strike. The third one, the effort was not what it should have been."

Even though the Warriors finished with an 8-3 advantage on corner kicks, the Demons came out and owned the possession advantage to begin matters. Yet Mizelle lamented the lack of purpose behind Fike's touches as both sides had promising first-half opportunities.

Once Hunt junior Brian Orellana slipped defending Gracia on the wet field, Fike's striker played the ball to junior Hunter Lee in the 10th minute. But Lee's shot couldn't get by Smith.

"Their pressure kind of got to us a little bit," Lee said. "They capitalized on mistakes. Cooper had two crazy shots. They were right there. But we had our chances the second half, we just didn't capitalize."

Hunt had its chance in the 15th minute, when Anguiano crossed a ball into the box for Dean. It bounded off the post as it went out for a goal kick. In the 23rd, Fike's sophomore Pavel Vasquez headed a ball in the box that was saved by Smith.

The Demons had a dangerous opportunity in the 25th after Gracia was fouled at the edge of the 18-yard penalty area. Sophomore Noel Ruiz was called upon to take it, but it veered wide left from about 19 yards. Hunt quickly countered in the 26th with a free kick around midfield. Orellana was summoned to take it, and he struck it dangerously on frame in the direction of Brown. But Brown, who had two saves, deflected it out for a corner.

Hunt's defensive third was further tested in the 30th minute off a Fike corner. The ball came into the box and barreled towards the goal line, but a Warriors defender was there to get it away.

In the final seconds of the half, Fike junior Jordy Rodriguez put a dangerous cross into the Hunt area, but a finishing touch could not be applied as the half ended.

Once the final whistle blew, the Hunt bench spilled onto the field to celebrate.

Depending on the results of second-half play in the Big East, the possibility exists that Hunt-Fike II could be for the regular-season title on Oct. 15.

"That's what it looks like," Mizelle assessed. "If we win, I guess we'll have to practice running out on the field like we won a state championship."

[email protected] -- 265-7807 -- Twitter: @JimmyLewisWT

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