Cardinals fortunate to advance

EDITOR'S NOTE: Jacksonville's 3A NCHSAA soccer finals match with Charlotte Catholic has been postponed until Sunday at 4 p.m. in Raleigh. The match was orginally scheduled for Saturday but has been postposted to due heavy rains. It will still be played at the Curtis and Jackie Dail Soccer Stadium on the campus of N.C. State University in Raleigh.

Jacksonville senior goalkeeper Klay Davis perhaps said it best when referring to his team's state semifinal win over Burlington Williams on Wednesday.

"It's better to be lucky than to be skilled," he said.

Davis, the Cardinals' three-year starter between the pipes, has good reason to feel that way.

Despite Jacksonville registering a 6-4 advantage in shots on frame, the Cardinals were on the wrong end of possession time and escaped a handful of close calls, especially in the second half. Still, Jacksonville (25-3), the top 3-A seed from the Mideastern 3-A/4-A Conference, got a pair of goals from senior Zach Odum, to emerge victorious and advance to Saturday's NCHSAA 3-A championship game against Charlotte Catholic (23-1-1).

The title game will kickoff at 1 p.m. at the Curtis and Jackie Dail Soccer Stadium at the campus of N.C. State University.

"I would say Burlington Williams dominated," Cardinals coach Dave Miller said. "We were just sloppy and never got in a grove.

"Williams' style was pushing transition and we were fortunate to not give up a goal early."

Burlington Williams, coached by former White Oak standout Jeremy Krist and which was the top seed from the Mid-State Conference, ended 20-3, despite a handful of possessions near the 18-yard box.

The Bulldogs' tied the regional final at 1-1 with 2 minutes, 52 seconds left when freshman John Lindley scored off an assist from junior Jack Lindley.

"We let that person open near the back post," Davis said. "I was disappointed we didn't stop him."

 Jack Lindley then had a deep throw-in land just in front of the goal early in the second half, only to have Jacksonville clear away the ball. From there, a header by junior Jay Lee was caught by Davis, while an open shot near the right post while the Jacksonville keeper was exiting the box sailed wide right. Davis had earlier left the box to deny the Bulldogs a possible 1-on-1 chance.

"At halftime we talked about finishing," Krist said. "We just hoped (to sneak one in the goal in the second half.)"

And while the Cardinals' backfield of seniors Zach Scott and Josh Eustis, junior Michael Uzzell and sophomore Sidney Peterson bent, they failed to break in terms of yielding a second-half score.

"We just forgot about that goal we gave up," Odum said. "We looked at it as a 0-0 game and we were fired up at halftime."

Perhaps that emotional high was a difference in Jacksonville's defending.

"We didn't give up a lot of opportunities,' Miller said. "We limited their quality chances."

But though Miller was pleased with the progressed defense, a cause of concern could be his club's limited attack. Possession will be vital for Jacksonville as it faces a Charlotte Catholic squad that is posting nearly five goals per outing. The Cougars defeated two-time reigning 3-A champion Lake Norman 2-1 on Wednesday.

"We were under constant pressure," Miller said. "We had too many turnovers in the middle."

So what do the Cardinals need to do Saturday to prevent that?

"Just keep high intensity," Davis said.