Cole Dixon (16) splits defenders. Green Hope High School defends their state title with a 2 to 0 final score.
Nov 18, 2012
Green Hope scored the only goals of the game in the final 14 minutes as the Falcons won their second consecutive North Carolina High School Athletic Association state 4-A men's soccer championship, beating Charlotte Myers Park 2-0 at Dail Soccer Field at North Carolina State University on Saturday afternoon.
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The contest was a rematch of last year's 4-A state championship, in which Green Hope prevailed 2-1 in overtime.
Green Hope senior goalkeeper Sam Bissette, a 6-4 junior who made six saves and a couple of the spectacular variety, was named the championship Most Valuable Player. He helped keep Myers Park at bay, especially in the first half when the Mustangs seemed to have the edge in play, and then secured two saves on point-blank shots in the second half.
Green Hope captain Joshua Kennedy finally broke the scoreless tie in the 66th minute off an assist from Cole Dixon to give the Falcons a 1-0 lead. Then in the game's final two minutes with Myers Park pressing forward, Zack Compton got loose on a breakaway and put it in near post to secure the victory. Compton had come on as a sub in the second half.
The Falcons had eight shots on goal to seven for Myers Park, and the Falcons had two corner kick opportunities to one for the Mustangs.
The Falcons finished with a record of 24-2 and won their second NCHSAA crown in four trips to the championship match. Myers Park ended the year 20-4, with the Mustangs making their third consecutive appearance in the finals and sixth overall. Myers Park won its only soccer title in 2008.
The Raleigh Sports Consortium serves as a host city sponsor for these championships, along with the city of Raleigh and the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors’ Bureau.
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