Ravenscroft soccer overcomes playoff deficit to advance another round

For 78 minutes, the Ravenscroft boys’ soccer team couldn’t find the rhythm that propelled it to a two-loss record and the No. 2 seed in the NCISAA 3A playoffs.

Down, 1-0, against No. 7 Greensboro Day School, the Ravens finally broke through.

During a Ravenscroft free kick scramble in the box of the third-round match, the Ravens (15-2-2) got a great shot on goal, but it was parried away by the Bengals goalkeeper. Fortuitously for Ravens senior Connor Gridley, the ball bounced around and rolled in front of him, and he struck it perfectly, past the outstretched arms of the keeper.

The clock read 2:20, and Ravenscroft had new life. It scored twice in overtime to move into the semifinals with a 3-1 win.

“It was a free kick in, it bounced around the box, some guys got some touches on it, but it bounced to a good spot for me and I was able to put it far post,” Gridley said about his match-tying goal.

The goal immediately flipped the momentum to the Ravens, a tide that grew exponentially in extra time.

Ravens coach Alix Charles pleaded his team to keep its focus intact.

“We felt like we were not playing our game yet,” Charles said. “We needed to go and keep working hard. If we keep working hard, good things will come.”

In the first 10-minute overtime period, Ravenscroft came out looking to capitalize on its rejuvenated spirit. Senior Taylor Smith, who’d been involved with multiple chances at the end of regulation, found space on the left flank. He tore into the box, fired a dangerous low cross. That ball was blocked, but junior John Daniel Sawyer rushed the net and buried it with 42 seconds left in the first overtime.

“That was one thing we talked about,” Charles said. “Knowing the ground was wet, we needed to be there because keepers usually drop balls when the ground is wet.”

The play showed Sawyer the importance of staying engaged and rushing the net.

“I just have to listen to my coach, and now I know being in the right place at the right time actually works,” he said. “Now I’m going to keep doing it.”

The eventual game-winner was even more impressive considering Sawyer had exited the game earlier with a leg cramp and didn’t expect to return.

“I saw my team needed me,” Sawyer said. “I walked it out on the sideline and asked the medical trainer if I could come in. He said ‘If you feel OK, then you can.’ I really didn’t feel 100 percent, but I just wanted to help my team.”

The Ravens continued to control the game in the second overtime and tacked on a third goal to ice the game. Halfway through, a loose ball got behind the Greensboro Day defense, and it was a race between freshman Em Petrov and the keeper. Petrov got there first, tapped the ball to the side and had an empty net waiting.

The match didn’t flow as smoothly in the first half for Ravenscroft, though. Bengals senior A.J. Spruill scored his team’s lone goal with a great shot from the left side of the box that just dipped behind the Ravens keeper.

It seemed frustrating at times for Ravenscroft, but the play of several seniors kept the team within striking distance. Kelvin Jones used his speed along the right sideline multiple times to earn chances. Johnny McNeill commanded the midfield and stuck his head out for every 50-50 header. Defender Matthew Johnson saved a goal by sprinting to a loose ball to knock it out of bounds before the Bengals could go two-on-one.

“I don’t want to give (the seniors) all the credit,” Charles said. “But they’ve been wanting it badly, and they’ve been making some great plays. Without them, the team wouldn’t be what it is today.”

Up next for Ravenscroft is a semifinal bout with No. 3 Charlotte Country Day on Friday. North Raleigh Christian Academy will host the final rounds, which ends with the championship game on Saturday afternoon.

The fifth-seeded Knights (12-5-2) are still in the playoffs and face No. 3 Charlotte Country Day Friday.

This story was originally published October 29, 2015 at 10:51 AM with the headline "Ravenscroft soccer overcomes playoff deficit to advance another round."