Mustangs move into 1st place in SHAC standings
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
FAYETTEVILLE — One first-half goal and a lot of tough defense by the Lynchburg-Clay Mustangs saw them move into first place and into a tough battle the rest of the way for the eventual Southern Hills Athletic Conference Championship.
The 1-0 win over the previously SHAC undefeated Fayetteville Rockets at FAHS keeps LC undefeated in the SHAC, along with the Eastern Brown Warriors, who each have a tie in the conference.
On Wednesday, the lone goal for the Mustangs came with 33:25 left in the first half as senior Alex Pinkerton scored a goal on a header off a cross kick from freshman Austin Hilt for the one-goal lead.
"They (Fayetteville) play hard, and we struggled to score," LC head coach Dennis West said. "Alex had that big goal at the beginning, and that was it.
"We asked him to play defense in the second half, and Alex is just a tremendous player all the way around, no matter where we put him."
The goal by Pinkerton was set up off the cross kick by Hilt, who was inches from being out of bounds. As he kicked the ball, Pinkerton came out of nowhere, leaped a little off-balanced and while in mid-air headed the ball past the keeper of the Rockets.
"There was the cross kick, and I didn't even see Alex, and I turned to Kevin [Walker, assistant coach] and said 'Where did he come from?'" West said. "He said, 'I don't know.' I was watching on the outside and it was just boom.
"It was just an outstanding play by Alex. He's been playing well for us. We've been playing him in the middle but started him up front, and he and Noah (Scott) are just a lethal combination. They both have speed and both can get into places when you don't expect them to be … they make a good tandem up front."
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From there, even though the Rockets controlled possession of the ball, it was the Mustangs' defense who kept the shutout intact.
"Our defense was just outstanding as it has been all year," West said "We put Alex (Pinkerton) to defend Max Iles, and Alex just stepped up. He just did an outstanding job of marking Iles and forced everyone else on the Fayetteville team to take their shots. I'm just pleased with his play and the play of the entire defense."
The Rockets had a goal called off as they were ruled offsides at the 28:14 mark of the first half, and from there, the host Rockets were unable to score off a cross kick around the 20-minute mark.
Fayetteville kicked the ball off the goal post with 18:53 remaining in the first half, and the Mustangs continued to flex their muscle on defense by fending off any pressure the Rockets had to offer.
Again, the Rockets were close to tying the game, but a big stop by the defense of the Mustangs' Wes Smith kept LC ahead at the 7:36 mark of the first half.
In the second half, Devin Pierson made a big save by leaping in the air to save a goal with 37 minutes left in the match.
The Rockets had a direct kick attempt near the 15-minute mark, and LC missed a chance at adding to their lead with 2:40 left on the clock.
With the score so close, every moment counted, and maybe the biggest defensive stand by the Mustangs came with 1:05 on the scoreboard as they kept the Rockets from tying the score.
The 1-0 win over the previously SHAC undefeated Fayetteville Rockets at FAHS keeps LC undefeated in the SHAC, along with the Eastern Brown Warriors, who each have a tie in the conference.
On Wednesday, the lone goal for the Mustangs came with 33:25 left in the first half as senior Alex Pinkerton scored a goal on a header off a cross kick from freshman Austin Hilt for the one-goal lead.
"They (Fayetteville) play hard, and we struggled to score," LC head coach Dennis West said. "Alex had that big goal at the beginning, and that was it.
"We asked him to play defense in the second half, and Alex is just a tremendous player all the way around, no matter where we put him."
The goal by Pinkerton was set up off the cross kick by Hilt, who was inches from being out of bounds. As he kicked the ball, Pinkerton came out of nowhere, leaped a little off-balanced and while in mid-air headed the ball past the keeper of the Rockets.
"There was the cross kick, and I didn't even see Alex, and I turned to Kevin [Walker, assistant coach] and said 'Where did he come from?'" West said. "He said, 'I don't know.' I was watching on the outside and it was just boom.
"It was just an outstanding play by Alex. He's been playing well for us. We've been playing him in the middle but started him up front, and he and Noah (Scott) are just a lethal combination. They both have speed and both can get into places when you don't expect them to be … they make a good tandem up front."
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From there, even though the Rockets controlled possession of the ball, it was the Mustangs' defense who kept the shutout intact.
"Our defense was just outstanding as it has been all year," West said "We put Alex (Pinkerton) to defend Max Iles, and Alex just stepped up. He just did an outstanding job of marking Iles and forced everyone else on the Fayetteville team to take their shots. I'm just pleased with his play and the play of the entire defense."
The Rockets had a goal called off as they were ruled offsides at the 28:14 mark of the first half, and from there, the host Rockets were unable to score off a cross kick around the 20-minute mark.
Fayetteville kicked the ball off the goal post with 18:53 remaining in the first half, and the Mustangs continued to flex their muscle on defense by fending off any pressure the Rockets had to offer.
Again, the Rockets were close to tying the game, but a big stop by the defense of the Mustangs' Wes Smith kept LC ahead at the 7:36 mark of the first half.
In the second half, Devin Pierson made a big save by leaping in the air to save a goal with 37 minutes left in the match.
The Rockets had a direct kick attempt near the 15-minute mark, and LC missed a chance at adding to their lead with 2:40 left on the clock.
With the score so close, every moment counted, and maybe the biggest defensive stand by the Mustangs came with 1:05 on the scoreboard as they kept the Rockets from tying the score.