North Johnston soccer season goes historic in first-round win over Graham

Given his relationship as the son of the school’s long-time former coach, Ian Walston considers himself an unofficial historian of the North Johnston boys soccer program.

So Walston fully understood the significance of the milestones the Panthers achieved during Wednesday’s 7-2 home decision over Graham in the opening round of the Class 2-A State Playoffs.

The victory was North Johnston’s 20th of the season, marking the first time in school history that the Panthers have reached that mark. North Johnston collected 19 wins on two occasions under Brent Walston — Ian’s dad — in the 2000s. But the Panthers couldn’t reach the elusive No. 20 total until Wednesday.

“Our goal coming into the season was to break the school record for victories,’’ Ian Walston said. “That was something we wanted to get done. I want to continue the tradition that we have going here.’’

The Panthers (20-4-1) also earned their initial playoff triumph since 2010, and North Johnston will look for another one in the second round versus North Lenoir. A date and time for the contest had not been finalized at press time, but the Panthers will once again be playing at home.

Ian Walston, a junior, did his part Wednesday, delivering a pair of goals to up his team-high mark to 41 for the season. Chase Davis and Tyler Jackson tacked on two goals apiece for the Panthers, who never trailed.

Davis found the net less than five minutes in after taking a pass through the midfield from Marcos Orozco. Using a burst of speed, Davis found himself alone in the box, and he went low right on a chip to give North Johnston the lead for good.

Keeper Max Kirby stopped a point-blank attempt by Graham’s (9-12) Marco Bautista at the 31:48 mark to keep the Panthers ahead. Ian Walston then gave North Johnston some space when he quickly turned in the box before unleashing a laser for his 40th tally of the campaign.

The Panthers led 3-0 at the break, and Walston tacked on No. 41 off a throw-in as part of North Johnston’s four-goal uprising in the second half.

North Johnston’s players were so elated after the match that they teamed up to give coach Jody Edwards a water-cooler bath to help celebrate the occasion. But while Edwards is upbeat about his club’s numerous statistical accomplishments this fall, he took a bigger-picture approach to Wednesday’s favorable result.

“The kids are more into the numbers than me,’’ said Edwards, who is in his third season as the Panthers’ head coach. “My main goal was just to win this match and get us through to the next one. I think the difference was that we played loosely, and we also played together.’’

Edwards though his club’s strong start to the contest helped alleviate any pressure the Panthers might have felt about playing a home playoff game for the first time in five years.

“We knew coming in that Graham has been averaging three goals per game,’’ Edwards said. “Getting going early and keeping that pace was important. We stressed that we wanted to defend our home field. That was our motto (Wednesday).’’

This story was originally published November 5, 2015 at 11:00 AM with the headline "North Johnston soccer season goes historic in first-round win over Graham."