Raine Honeycutt

Carrboro striker takes a shot on White Oak’s goalkeeper

With fall sports coming to a close, and winter season quickly approaching, it becomes easy to overlook the last couple games each team has left on their schedule. However, that is not the case for Men’s Soccer, who played their first Playoff game last Friday, November 8. The Jaguars took on White Oak High School at home, and although they lost 3-1, it was an exciting match throughout all 80 minutes.

Before kickoff, the Carrboro Coach, Jared Drexler (or Drex as many call him) shared some of his thoughts going into the fixture, especially about what he wished to see from the team:

“[I want to see] heart. I know there's times when we really show it, and then there's times when we don't,” Coach Drex said. “And so I really just want to see the passion and just the intensity and motivation. And just everybody giving it all.”

And despite the result, the Jaguars did show a good fight, which excited the fans who had come to watch. Family and friends filled the stands, making for a lively atmosphere that brought energy to players and staff. 

“I'm excited to see how the defense and offense work together because oftentimes I feel like it's more heavily on one side or the other,” said Ever Harris, who’s brother -- Breckin Harris -- is the varsity captain this year and plays center-back for the Jaguars. “But I feel like with the playoff game they're really going to try to have, I don't know, maybe an interaction, more of like a balance between both, which I really hope for.”

Soccer Coach Jared Drexler talks strategy with his players before the game

The match kicked off at 6 o'clock and it was obvious from the start that the game would be a good one. White Oak came out swinging within the first ten minutes, and at first the Jaguars struggled to settle in. However, after a couple of close shots on their own goal, Carrboro began to possess the ball more and work it from back to front with ease. Still, White Oak continued their attack, and eventually scored at the 22nd minute. Another goal ended up in the back of the net not five minutes later as the Vikings played off of Carrboro’s momentary shock.

The game might have seemed over then, but Carrboro stayed strong. Just like their coach wanted, the team played with heart, keeping their foot on the gas pedal. They won almost every 50/50 ball for the next ten minutes, and played pass after pass between the lines. Eventually, all their hard work paid off as Benjamin “Benny” Wittmayer slid in behind the defense to receive a long ball which he tucked away behind the White Oak goalkeeper.