Sea Devils Tie Top Tier Conference Opponent

In Short: The Sea Devils finished a fiery battle in a tie with the Louisburg Hurricanes.

Highlights:

After stepping up to defeat conference opponent Wake Tech last week, Cape Fear Men's Soccer was excited for a new challenge against a typical tough competitor in the Region 10 Conference: the Louisburg Hurricanes. The stakes were high as the Sea Devils knew this result would define how much they have grown as a team since they last faced the Hurricanes at home.

A defining part of the matchup was a red card earned by Louisburg early on in the first half, which gave the Sea Devils another competitive advantage. Cape Fear held possession of the ball throughout the majority of both halves and were consistently making attempts to break through the Hurricanes structure.

The first goal of the match came from the Hurricanes as they were able to capitalize on their few opportunities up top. But the Sea Devils responded quickly as returning Sophomore Marcello Afonso placed one in with assistance from Sophomore captain Caleb Woodard. Cape Fear and Louisburg finished the first half 1-1.

Moving into the second half, the Sea Devils continued to push the tempo and maintain possession. However, the Louisburg Hurricanes held firm in a strong, 6-man backfield formation that was a challenge to penetrate.

The Sea Devils then hustled through a short Overtime period, but were still unable to break through the Hurricanes' defensive line. The match ended in a 1-1 draw but was hard-fought on both sides with the ending result.

"In order to beat teams who play in a low block and defense like they did, you have to have lots of quality attacking to make it happen," says Head Coach Dave Martin. "We have the players and we controlled possession, but we didn't execute to our standards."

Up Next: The Sea Devils will travel to Shaw University to compete against their developmental team on Monday, September 19th at 5 PM in Raleigh, NC.