Warhorses scare up a playoff win on Halloween
Owen beats West Stanly, 4-1, advances to second round
Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
October 31, 2022
While many people were going door to door collecting candy, Oct. 31, the Owen soccer team gave its fans a special Halloween treat.
The number 10 seeded Warhorses hosted number 23 West Stanly to open the 2022 NCHSAA 2A State Playoffs and ended the night with a 4-1 victory.
Owen, which finished the regular season with a 16-2-1 record, had won its last 11 matches coming into the contest. The visiting Colts brought their 14-6-1 mark to the Swannanoa Valley.
The physical play of West Stanly limited the offensive attack of the Warhorses early in the first half, but sophomore Davis Kendall couldn’t be contained for long. Owen’s leading scorer, who entered the match with 35 regular season goals, wasted little time putting pressure on the opposing defense.
Kendall netted his first of 3 goals in the contest before the 5-minute mark, off an assist from his brother, senior midfielder Harrison.
The younger Kendall set up a corner kick with an aggressive move less than 3 minutes later, scoring his second goal on a header in front of the net.
The Warhorses took a 2-0 lead into halftime, but the Colts defense was persistent. The teams battled throughout the first 34 minutes of the second half, before Kendall slipped past the defender for a clean look at the goal, drawing a penalty kick as the goalkeeper stepped out to defend.
The sophomore hit the ensuing shot, giving his team a 3-goal advantage, before junior Abraham McTeague-Popishil added to the lead with a header off a corner kick in the 36th minute. The Colts finally broke through in the closing moments, as the Owen defense gave up its first goal since Sept. 12.
West Stanly tested the Warhorses early, according to head coach Trei Morrison.
“They came out and worked hard, and we haven’t seen anybody this season that worked as hard as they did,” he said after the game. “It took us a little time to get used to and once we did we got more comfortable on the ball.”
Their opponent’s physical style of play also required adjustments for Owen.
“They were willing to throw their bodies on the line, block balls and make it a little bit ugly,” Morrison said. “We hadn’t seen that this year, so it took us a little time to adapt to it.”
The opening round matchup was what the Warhorses needed, according to the coach.
“That’s a good team, and they pushed us a bit but we were able to push through,” he said. “We had a couple of chances to put it away early and we didn’t, so when you let a team hang around like that, teams keep fighting.”
Owen will prepare for another physical contest in Concord, where they will take on 7th seeded Robinson at 7 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 3. The Bulldogs will enter the match with a 20-2-1 record after their 4-0 win over number 23 Randleman in the opening round.
Photos of the Warhorses first round playoff victory over West Stanly can be viewed in the gallery at the top of the page.