East Bladen Jamie Delgado looks to dribble past his defender.
ELIZABETHTOWN — The 16th-seeded East Bladen Eagles defeated the 17th-seeded Triangle Math and Science Tigers for a 2-1 victory on Monday in the first round of the 1A NCHSAA State playoffs. Senior midfielder Jamie Delgado tucked away a penalty late in the second half and dished out an assist to propel the Eagles into the next round.
East Bladen dominated the possession in the first half and they had the best chances in front of goal as they had their opponents pinned in their own half. In the first couple of minutes of the half, junior midfielder Gabril Algozy made a penetrating run into the Tigers box but the ball was poked away before he could pull the trigger. The Eagles kept going forward with wave after wave of attacks towards their opponents goal.
The Tigers got their first look in front of goal in the 20th minute when junior midfielder Ali Hazari header from a free kick glanced wide of the mark. This gave the visitors a little more confidence going forward and they were able to string together passes to orchestrate moves toward the Eagles goal for a short period of time in the first half.
The hosts found their breakthrough goal in the 12th minute when Delgado’s corner kick fell to the foot of Tevin McClean for an easy tap-in. East Bladen continued to push for the second but went without any luck as the first half came to a close. Triangle entered the second half a different team and began their hunt for the equalizer with Hazam Odeh sending a trickling shot towards the Eagles goal.
East Bladen attempted to unlock their opponents defense with long balls over the top but the visitors were prepared to eliminate the aerial threat. The Tigers finally got their equalizer after freshman forward Imram Ali got control of a bouncing ball inside the box before blasting his right-foot shot into the upper-90 to draw the game at 1-1 in the 26th minute. The Eagles struggled to find a way out of their own side of the field and continued to send long balls in hopes to catch their opponents on the counter.
Junior winger Chase Butler bolted down the sideline to get on the end of Delgado’s diagonal ball and took a couple of touches inside the visitors box before being shoved from behind to force the ref to blow his whistle for an Eagles penalty. Delgado stepped up to the spot and blasted the penalty to the right corner as the keeper dove into the opposite direction to give the Eagles a 2-1 lead with 15 minutes left in the second half.
The Eagles almost extended their lead a few moments later when the ball rolled into the path of Ronnie Covington from six-yards out but he whiffed at the chance. Triangle became more desperate with their attacks going forward as time was against them and passes began drifting away from the intended targets. McClean got on the end of a deflected ball to put him 1-on-1 with the keeper but he rushed his shot with five minutes remaining in the match.
The Tigers got one last chance to equalize the game with a free kick from 20-yards out but the floated service was gobbled up by junior keeper Fernando Rebollar. East Bladen advances to the next round where they’ll take on the number-one seeded Hobbton Wildcats this Thursday.
RESULTS FOR WACCAMAW 1A RD 1(MON):
#8 Pender defeats #25 Ascend Leadership 6-2
RESULTS FOR WACCAMAW/SAC 6 2A RD 1(MON):
#1 Clinton defeats #32 Southwest Onslow 8-0
#19 St. Pauls defeats #14 James Kenan 4-3
#11 Midway defeats #22 Seaforth 1-0
#10 Heide Trask defeats #23 Holmes 2-2(4-3 PK)
RD 2 GAMES 1A (THUR):
#16 East Bladen at #1 Hobbton
#9 Cape Hatteras at #8 Pender
RD 2 GAMES 2A(THUR):
#15 Washington at #1 Clinton
#19 St. Pauls at #3 Jordan Matthews
#11 Midway at #6 Wallace-Rose Hill
#26 North Lenoir at #10 Heide Trask