Faith Christian falls in NCISAA finals to Wilson Greenfield

The 2009 NCISAA 1-A state boys’ soccer playoffs final lasted more than 100 minutes Saturday, but a single kick crowned a champion.

Wilson Greenfield earned its second consecutive state championship with a 2-1 (4-3 shootout) victory against Faith Christian at Gillette Soccer Complex.

“We did absolutely everything we could do today,” Patriots coach Harold Rackley said. “We played the best game of the season in the last game. I’m proud of every single player on this team.”

The Patriots and Knights played to a 1-1 tie through regulation. The two squads remained knotted through a pair of 10-minute overtime periods and a pair of five-minute sudden death periods. Both coaches selected five players each to square off in a championship-deciding shootout.

The two squads remained even at three goals a piece when the final players set up the ball for their shots. Faith Christian’s senior captain Seth Muller failed to score, while Wilson Greenfield sophomore Phillip Packard netted the game winner.

Muller took a 7-yard running start and ripped a shot that sailed over the crossbar and out of the reach of the Knights’ goalkeeper.

“When you get to the end of 110 minutes of soccer, the energy is gone,” Muller said. “The finesse just wasn’t there, and I simply missed it.”

Packard followed the miss with a shot just out of reach of Patriots keeper Ben Barnes’ outstretched hands. Packard jogged three steps and released the ball directly in the center of the net.

Prior to the shootout Barnes recorded eight saves, and then a ninth on Wilson Greenfield’s opening shot in the shootout.

“It’s all by chance if you stop a shot in that situation,” Barnes said. “It’s really just a guessing game. I guessed left and he went straight. It’s disappointing, but that’s just kind of how it goes.”

Immediately after the goal, the field flooded with Knights players ready to celebrate, while Barnes remained face down on the field. The Patriots finished as runner-up to the Knights for the second straight season. Wilson Greenfield won last season, 1-0, in regulation.

Wilson Greenfield 2

Faith Christian 1

(4-3 shootout)

Goals: WG — Robert Stallings (2), Phillip Packard, Ben Bradley, Jeremy Jeffers ; FC — Keegan Gemmell (2), Aaron Rackley, Matthew Cash

Shots: WG — 21; FC — 19

Saves: FC — Ben Barnes (9)