Avery Soccer Plays to Pair of Ties against Non-Conference Competition

The Avery men’s soccer team tangled with two tough squads last week in early-season action. On Monday, Avery traveled to Valdese to take on the Draughn Wildcats, playing to a 2-2 tie, while the Vikings let a 1-0 halftime lead slip away in the second half as the Big Red tied Providence Academy (TN) by a final score of 1-1.

In the Draughn matchup, the Wildcats picked up a pair of first-half goals to take a 2-0 lead into intermission. The Vikings defense clamped down and held Draughn scoreless through the second half, while Avery senior Kyle Griewisch worked through constant double-teaming and physical play to tally both second-half goals for the Big Red to knot the score and earn the tie.

“There seemed to be some inconsistency on the field when it came to the physical play,” Avery head coach Tom Evaul said. “Kyle appeared to be taken down in the box on a couple of occasions with nothing called, and one of our players was given a double-yellow card. I spoke with the referee after the match and expressed my desire to see the game called consistently,” Avery head soccer coach Tom Evaul said following the match. “Kyle did a good job scoring despite being pushed around out there and he helped us offensively. Draughn was a very physical team, but we were able to adjust to it in the second half.”

In Thursday’s match against Providence Academy, the Big Red got on the scoreboard first when freshman Isauro Estrada followed a shot, burying the ball into the back of the net for the 1-0 Big Red advantage.

“That was a good goal for Isauro. We hope that he will come along as a freshman, and I’m sure the goal will help his confidence,” Coach Evaul stated.

Avery took its one-goal edge into the second half, but in the 57^th minute the Knights from Providence netted the equalizer when halfback Chad Clendenon slipped by the Viking defense and scored a goal by netminder Morgan Bounds to tie the match at one goal apiece.

“The Providence player was able to dribble the ball well, but we were able to keep him in check for most of the first half. We knew he was their best player, but to his credit he was able to get through the defense and score,” Coach Evaul said. “We had some momentum early in the match, but they took it when they scored. We were able to get some of that momentum back later in the half, which I think helped us to keep them from scoring again. We play them again there in a couple of weeks, and if we’re healthy we might be able to do a better job and come away with a different outcome.”

The Vikings, ranked #10 in the latest NC Soccer Coaches Association 1A soccer poll, moves to 2-1-2 on the season. Avery travels this week to Swannanoa to take on an undefeated and ranked 2A club in Owen to open the conference season.

“Owen is a pretty good team. I think they’re out for some blood after our girls beat them last season,” Coach Evaul said. “We think they will be a good team, and our guys realize Owen will be a tough match. We hope that we can come out strong and that Kyle and a couple of others can be on fire and challenge them. If so, we’ll see what happens.”