A critical East Central Conference soccer showdown was set to unfold on Wednesday night when the Clinton Dark Horses hosted Wallace-Rose Hill at the Clinton Dark Horse Soccer Complex. With the second half of the conference schedule kicking off, the race to the top was heating up. As both teams needed a win to keep the upper hand, it was the visiting Bulldogs that secured the 3-0 win in an electric and tension-filled atmosphere.

With the pregame festivities concluded, the action on the field kicked off as the Dark Horses were moving quick with an extra chip in their step. The urgency of the game loomed as loud cheers and applause echoed from the fans from both schools that filled the stands. Even though Clinton controlled possession in the early going, the Dark Horses struggled with getting opportunities beyond midfield.

With Wallace-Rose Hill controlling the game at midfield, it didn’t take long for the Bulldogs to generate an opportunity.

After a Clinton foul, Wallace was given a free kick. The kick found the top of the head of one of the Bulldog players, who redirected the shot past Clinton goalkeeper Reid Walters. With that, Wallace-Rose Hill seized a 1-0 as their portion of fans erupted into cheers.

The common theme of the night was Clinton’s inability to get the ball beyond midfield and the momentum from the goal ignited the Bulldogs, who only locked down even more from there. Wallace-Rose Hill’s midfielders were constantly seen thwarting passes, stealing the ball, and overall causing major disruptions the Dark Horses offensive efforts.

The remainder of the first half saw Walters turn away several shots on goal as Clinton stayed within striking distance. When the buzzer sounded signaling halftime, the teams broke away with the score sitting at 1-0.

Early in the second half, new momentum found the Dark Horses as they were gifted with free balls of their own. Clinton, though, couldn’t cash in on the opportunities. Then, the game took a rather peculiar turn.

With Clinton crashing the goal, the Bulldogs committed what looked like a fairly obvious interference of the play, but no foul was called as play continued. Shortly thereafter, the center ref assessed Clinton’s Sammy Sutter a yellow card for “questioning the call too many times.”

As play continued, the Dark Horses were victims of a second yellow card after the center ref ruled that the Clinton defender’s sliding attempt to knock the ball away was more physical than it should be. Moments later, Wallace-Rose Hill added another goal, seemingly pushing the lead to an insurmountable 2-0 margin with 20:00 left.

As the clock continued to melt away so too did the Dark Horses chances when the Bulldogs found the back of the net for a third time with 5:00 to go in the game. Despite the sideline ref having his flag raised and a red card on the Wallace-Rose Hill bench, after a lengthy discussion the referees allowed the goal to stand, solidifying the Bulldogs 3-0 victory.

After the game, Clinton head coach Brad Spell credited his opponent and said that his focus now is to file this game away and move on.

“Got to give Wallace-Rose Hill all the credit tonight. They outplayed us,” he said. “Our boys played hard but we couldn’t get any scoring opportunities. They controlled the midfield and really limited our ability to get anything beyond there. I’m proud of them for keeping their character toward the end of the game, now we just have to wipe this one away and regroup. We still have some big games left and are still in the running for the conference,” Spell concluded.

With the loss, Clinton is now 8-5-2 overall. In terms of the East Central Conference, the Dark Horses sit in third place at 5-2. Wallace-Rose Hill and Spring Creek are tied at the top with a 6-1 record.

Clinton will play in two games next week, first against Carrboro on Monday followed by a big battle at Spring Creek on Wednesday.

Kyle Reeves brings the ball up field.
https://www.clintonnc.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/web1_CHS-2.jpgKyle Reeves brings the ball up field.

Will Harris crashes the Wallace-Rose Hill goal, but the keeper intervenes to keep the Dark Horses scoreless.
https://www.clintonnc.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/web1_CHS-22.jpgWill Harris crashes the Wallace-Rose Hill goal, but the keeper intervenes to keep the Dark Horses scoreless.
Clinton falls in pivotal ECC matchup, 3-0

By Daron Barefoot

Sports Editor

Reach Sports Editor Daron Barefoot at [email protected].