HRHS Soccer Wins!

Continuing a very good week of mens soccer for Hickory Ridge, the Ragin' Bulls knocked off 4A Mooresville in a back and forth affair 4-1. Don't let the score fool you, this game was much closer than the final would lead you to believe. From the opening tap to the final whistle, this game was an up and down affair complete with scoring, near misses, and hard play. After going back and forth with both teams having a go at attacking the other teams goal, the Mooresville Blue Devils went ahead at the 20th minute on a lightning counterattack after a turnover by the Bulls on an attack of their own. Not to be defeated, the Bulls stayed together, kept their composure, and went back to work. They finally marked the score sheet after Sr. forward Matt Abbott weaved through the defense and nestled a soft pass at the top of the box that Jr. forward Adrian Ike ran onto and put in the back of the net to knot the score at 1-1 with 7 minutes left in the first half. And that's how the half ended.




The Bulls had the ball to start the 2nd half and were rewarded for their hard work when Sr. midfielder Chris Faber found the back of the net 6 minutes in. From there on though, the Blue Devils picked up their game and attacked with vengeance. One Mooresville goal was called off because of offsides, one ball destined to be a goal was miraculously saved when Sr. defender Jason Hladik cleared the ball off the line just as it was going to cross it, and one ball just snuck over the top of leaping Sr. keeper Drew Andreotti's hands only to find the cross bar and bounce harmlessly over the touch line. As the tension built towards the final minutes and the Bulls clinging to a 2-1 lead, the Ragin' Bulls Adrian Ike put a seeing eye shot past the keeper and off the far left post into the net with about 2 minutes remaining to make it 3-1. Mooresville was not finished though and renewed their attack. Fortunately, the defense was able to clear the ball, send it into the attacking third where Jr. forward Brandon Castillo ran onto it rocketing a left footed missle just inside the left post to nail down the victory to the raucous appreciation of the relatively large home crowd.

Adrian Ike receives congratulations from Co-Captain Chris Cline and #16 Jason Hladik after putting the Bulls up 3-1 with 2 minutes remaining.




Go Bulls!