Photo and article from Laieke Abebe
C.B. Aycock went toe-to-toe for more than the usual 80 minutes of regulation against Fike.
It took two overtime periods for the match to have a result, but neither team could find the decisive goal in a scoreless draw on Monday night.
For now, the Golden Falcons remain second in the Quad County 3A Conference standings. Despite not getting the win, the Golden Falcons still control their own destiny for a conference title and automatic berth to the state playoffs.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better performance from my team,” C.B. Aycock head coach Dominick Albano said. “We gave 110% against a really good team and we got a good result because of it.”
Fike (12-1-2 overall, 9-0-1 QCC) appeared to have scored a goal late in the first half despite a good defensive showing by the Golden Falcons. However, after a conversation with the assistant referee, the lead official disallowed the goa, which kept the match scoreless.
C.B. Aycock goalkeeper Braylan McKoy was forced into action several times to keep the Demons off the board. He made many crucial saves to give the Golden Falcons a chance to potentially steal the match.
The C.B. Aycock attack started to ramp up the pressure in the final 10 minutes of regulation and overtime.
Collin McIver and Austin Sawkiw created chances in midfield, but no Golden Falcon could find that one moment of brilliance to get a goal.
A win would have sent C.B. Aycock (12-3-2, 8-1-1) into a tie for first place in the conference standings. Losing would have been a blow to the Golden Falcons’ conference title hopes.
In the end, C.B. Aycock settled for a tie in a competitive battle with the top team in the standings. Now, the Golden Falcons prepare for a challenging final five games that starts with West Johnston, another team fighting for the playoffs, on Wednesday.
“We can’t look ahead,” Albano said about his team’s last five matches. “This conference is tough, and any team can win on any given night. We’ve got to take care of business the rest of the way if we want to have a shot at the conference title.”
