Skyland – A.C. Reynolds Rockets shut out T.C. Roberson Rams 2-0 last Wednesday.
The victory kept Reynolds (11-2-1; 3-1 MAC) in the thick of a very competitive Mountain Athletic race. Asheville is unbeaten so far in MAC play, and tied TCR 1-1. But the Cougars face Roberson again and have not yet played ACR. Enka beat Reynolds 2-1, and is 4-1 in the league and 12-1-1 overall. TC (10-2-1) is 4-1-1 in the conference. TCR, AHS and McDowell are 4A. ACR now gets to terrorize 3A playoff foes. Enka, Erwin, and North Buncombe are also 3A MAC schools.
Patrick Gladys has one of his larger Rocket squads – very reminiscent of two seasons ago. First-year Roberson head coach Leslie Sloan said, “they’re athletic and fast” to the ball. Seemingly, “we got all of the 50/50 balls” as players tried to gain possession, Gladys said. This was very unusual for this tight rivalry, for one team to dominate getting to the ball so repeatedly. “We have big, strong guys back there.”
Rocket senior forward James Black said, “we have a lot of fight!”
Rocket GK Sage Turner, a junior, made a diving stop of a direct kick to preserve the shutout.
Reynolds even kept the Rams off the scoreboard while down one man for eight minutes of the second half, after a Rocket was ejected on a red card penalty. But the sides evened up at ten players once TCR goalkeeper Ben Yang got a red card of his own, for an infraction in the “box” near the goal. Yang, a senior, was tossed out.
Backup GK Eli Seligman gave up merely one more goal. His sliding save kept the game within reach.
Sophomore star Isaac Chromey scored the insurance goal, with 17 minutes left. The smooth ballhandler took a pass, dribbled in on his left side to the top of the box (18-yard mark), and fired the ball through diving Seligman’s legs.
Tricky PK Opens Scoring
The game’s first goal was scored by Cooper Green. He blasted in a penalty kick, five and a half minutes before halftime. Green outmaneuvered Yang. A goalkeeper has to guess to have a chance at stopping shot shot, looking for a hint of where the shooter is leaning. Green set up on his right side and Yang’s left, aiming to Yang’s right. Yang leaped to his right, as play initiated.
But Green hopped sideways, then booted the ball straight in to a wide open portion of the net.
Both starting goalkeepers made acrobatic moves and got to the ball ahead of onrushing forwards. Both Roberson and Reynolds shut out most teams which they beat — TCR in eight of its first ten victims, and ACR in eight of its first 11 wins.
Coach Sloan cited some encouraging signs for TCR in the game and especially season thus far. “We’re moving around, and finding the ball.” She said the Rams are further developing technical aspects of the game. She counted nine scoring chances against ACR. Two-thirds (15 of 22) varsity Rams are seniors.
Sloan succeeds retired Josh Martin. She played forward for South Carolina. She is the first female head coach of a boys’ soccer program in Buncombe County.
Both of the arch rivals have senior forwards who average nearly a goal a game, scoring 11 in the season. Ram strikers David Foster and Quinn Roberts both have 11 goals.
Rocket Cole Jordan scored 11 times, and teammate James Black has eight goals. Reynolds has good scoring depth with at least four goals each from sophomore Chromey and juniors Ethan Saunders, Logan Ernst, and Green.