NEWTON-CONOVER DOWNS FIRST FLIGHT IN NCHSAA 2-A MEN’S SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP
RALEIGH – Opportunistic on offense and strong defense helped lift Newton-Conover to a 2-0 victory over Kill Devil Hills First Flight in the North Carolina High School Athletic Association state 2-A men’s soccer championship at Dail Soccer Field at North Carolina State University on a cold Saturday night.
First Flight controlled the ball in midfield for good portions of the game but couldn’t get much going in the final third against a strong Newton-Conover defense, while the Red Devils took advantage of their scoring opportunities.
Freshman forward Francisco Tapia, who was named the championship Most Valuable Player, put the Red Devils on the board in the 19th minute when he blistered a shot to the back of the net for a 1-0 advantage.
Then in the 51st minute, on a restart from about 35 yards out on the left side, Alan Esperiella served it into the box and senior forward Douglas Palma headed it home for a 2-0 N-C lead.
Goalkeeper Jacob Miller notched the shutout in goal, the 18th of the year for the Red Devils as N-C conceded only 15 goals all season.
Newton-Conover had eight shots, five of which were on goal, while First Flight had six total shots and two on goal. The Nighthawks had three corner kicks to two for the Red Devils.
The Red Devils finished the season on a 24-match winning streak and closed the campaign with a 26-1 mark, with the only blemish an early-season loss to Statesville. First Flight suffered its only loss against 24 wins and one tie and had an 18-match winning streak snapped.
First Flight played in its second consecutive NCHSAA men’s soccer championship after losing 2-1 to Salisbury in the 2013 final. Newton-Conover was back in the finals for the first time since 2007, when the Red Devils won the 2-A state title.
The Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance and the city of Raleigh served as primary host city sponsors for this championship, and Time Warner Cable SportsChannel was the presenting sponsor.
NORTH CAROLINA HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION
2014 STATE MEN’S SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIPS
Dail Soccer Field, Raleigh
2-A CHAMPIONSHIP 1 2 -- F Newton-Conover 1 1 -- 2 Kill Devil Hills First Flight 0 0 -- 0
SCORING
19th minute N-C—Francisco Tapia
51st minute N-C–Douglas Palma (Alan Esperiella)