Good’s ‘buzzer-beater’ gives Greenfield draw with DASH

With time running out for Greenfield School in Monday’s nonconference varsity boys soccer match against DASH United, the host Knights ran their final play to a T — literally.

Trailing 1-0 to DASH United home school team as the final seconds whizzed by on the Forbes Field scoreboard, Knights junior Noah Wright sent a cross into the box where sophomore T Good headed the ball to the back post for the equalizer with two skinny seconds left on the clock.

DASH, which scored near the end of the first half, would not get a rare win over the Knights but United head coach Jareb McClain was impressed with his team as well as the spectacular finish.

“Greenfield is usually a difficult game for us, so it was good to be up by one throughout most of the game,” he said. “I feel like we controlled the game until the last two minutes when Greenfield turned it on pretty high and sent quite a few balls into our post and crossbar until they finally put a beautiful header in that deserved to tie the game for sure.”

The game was originally scheduled as part of the Dr. Robert T. Stone Memorial Showcase to open the season two weeks ago but Tropical Storm Debby wiped that out. The teams reconvened Monday under beautiful skies but the Knights were far from whole. During Friday’s 9-0 victory at The Epiphany School in New Bern, sophomore defender Grayson Coulter injured his ankle, leaving a big gap in the Knights defense.

“Today, was an adjustment game for us,” said Greenfield head coach George Venturella. “That’s a starting center back — a key position — so losing him made us regroup and no practices since last Wednesday means our regrouping happens in the game.”

Venturella said that he first put speedy senior Simon Quinn at Coulter’s spot in the middle of the back line alongside Wright but that hampered Greenfield’s offensive chances. Instead, sophomore defender Daniel Satterfield slid from the outside back position the rest of the way.

The Knights handled it defensively, limiting DASH to just six shots in the match. However, one of them got through as Aiden Medina scored off an assist from Brady Aldrich late in the first half to give the United the lead.

Greenfield goalkeeper Kel Winstead was rarely challenged, finishing with two saves.

However, on the offensive end, the Knights just couldn’t find the clean look while taking 20 shots on goal. Until Wright and Good clicked just in the nick of time.

“It shows that they were willing to play to the end,” Venturella said of his team’s resolve. “They didn’t give up on it. They knew that all of our chances were there, we just had to get lucky and have one fall in. I can’t tell you how many of them hit posts or just ricocheted the wrong way for us so glad the last one finally fell.”

Greenfield (3-1-1) heads back into NCISAA 2-A/3-A Coastal Plain Independents Conference play Tuesday at Parrott Academy in Kinston before visiting Wilson Christian in another local non-association showdown.

“They’re not conference but it’s definitely one we want to win,” Venturella said.

DASH, which has home school players from Wilson, Wake and Nash counties, will return to Wilson on Tuesday for a match against Sallie B. Howard School at Gillette Soccer Complex.

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