Clayton clinches Greater Neuse River 4A boys soccer title
Deadlocked with rival Garner at halftime, Clayton boy’s soccer coach John Asmussen didn’t have an over-the-top intense speech to motivate his squad. He simply circled the Number 10 on a sheet of paper and said, “this is the reason we’d lose.”
Asmussen was referring to closing down the space afforded to Garner’s No. 10 playmaker Alejandro Carbajal. In the second half, the Comets limited Carbajal’s influence on the game and their own No. 10, Brandon Sainz, scored the game-winner in a 2-1 victory that clinched the Greater Neuse River Conference title.
Clayton’s Daniel Alioto opened up the scoring in the 10th minute after Caleb Rogers fed him the ball in space outside the penalty box. Alioto’s hit was perfect as it screamed into the upper 90 at the far post.
Garner (7-8-1, 6-4) evened things up six minutes before halftime when Carbajal looked up and picked out teammate Junior Ayala with a perfectly lofted pass over the Clayton defense and Ayala chipped the ball into the net.
Then, just seven minutes into the second half, the Comets (13-4, 10-1) were awarded a free kick about 30 yards out from goal. Sainz curled the ball towards the far post and the ball deflected off the Garner wall, pushing the ball further into the corner just slotting inside the far post.
“We knew that if we wanted to get to this level that we needed to compete with teams like this,” Asmussen said. “They’re a great team and well-coached. We’re fortunate to come out tonight with a win.”
They said it
“It pushed it over to the side; I was curving (the ball) over the wall and it ended up hitting the wall,” Sainz said of his game-winner, which ricocheted off the Garner wall before sliding into the corner of the goal. “I saw it hit the ground and I thought it was going to hit the post and I didn’t even see the ball go in. I just heard everyone start screaming so I started screaming.”
Three who mattered
Brandon Sainz, Clayton: Not only was Sainz the game-winning goal scorer and vocal leader for the Comets but he also dropped back from his midfield position to sweeper after his goal in the second half to help keep the Trojans off the scoreboard the final 33 minutes.
J.T. Palazzalo, Clayton: The senior goalkeeper came up huge with six saves, most of the spectacular variety. None were more important, however, than when he came off of his line and denied Carbajal from point-blank range with just two minutes remaining.
Alejandro Carbajal, Garner: The senior midfielder was a nuisance for Clayton defenders all night who were challenged in keeping up with Carbajal’s fast pace and deft touch. Out of his six shots on the night, four were headed straight for goal forcing Palazzalo into action.
By the numbers
10: Number of assists that Alejandro Carbajal has now dished out to teammates on the season.
1.27: Goals allowed per game by Clayton in GNRC play.
3: Total number of times a Garner field player cleared the ball off the line to stop a certain Clayton goal. Ian Fright and Alex Rodriguez were responsible for the first two times while what could best be termed a mass of Garner defenders denied the Comets late in the second half.
Looking ahead
The win left Clayton atop the GNRC standings at 10-1 with Garner in second place with a 6-4 mark. The Comets have league matches left with East Wake, Rolesville and West Johnston while Garner finishes with Knightdale, Rolesville, Southeast Raleigh and West Johnston.
Even if Garner wins out and Clayton loses out, the teams would finished tied with 10-4 records with the Comets getting the nod as they defeated Garner twice.
This story was originally published October 15, 2015 at 9:58 AM with the headline "Clayton clinches Greater Neuse River 4A boys soccer title."