Cape Fear Defeats #1 Patrick & Henry Going Into Tournament Play

Wilmington, NC - Sunday, October 20, 2024

Cape Fear vs Patrick & Henry

Cape Fear wins 1-0

Highlights: Cape Fear Men's Soccer secured a gritty 1-0 victory against Patrick & Henry, thanks to a well-executed free kick by freshman Cuitlahuac Gonzalez in the second half. Both teams played a highly technical and competitive game, battling for possession throughout the match.

The first half saw both the Patriots and the Sea Devils create several scoring opportunities while trading spells of control. Neither team was able to break the deadlock by halftime, heading into the break at 0-0.

In the second half, tensions ran high as both sides looked for the breakthrough. Cape Fear capitalized when Patrick & Henry's defense faltered, earning a crucial free kick. Gonzalez stepped up and delivered a perfectly placed shot just under the crossbar, giving the Sea Devils a 1-0 lead.

Patrick & Henry responded with a series of strong attacking runs, but Cape Fear's defense held firm. Freshman Aydan Scharf had himself a day in the box - making 14 critical saves to preserve the clean sheet. Despite Patrick & Henry's best efforts, they were unable to find an equalizer as Cape Fear continues to build momentum into the postseason.

"So happy that our guys are seeing the results deserve after putting so much hard work in this season," remarks Head Coach Giovanni Vlahos. "Being such a young team, they need wins like this to believe in our culture and understand how that translates to wins. But we can't celebrate too much as we prepare for the first round of tournament play versus Region 10 powerhouse Wake Tech in just a few days time."