A Photographer’s Perspective: Sights & Sounds From NCAA’s Soccer Championship

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— story and pictures by Patrick Magoon (patrickmagoon.com) of WIZS — Patrick Magoon is a recent UNC-C communications graduate looking to build his sports portfolio by writing and taking photos for WIZS

Over the weekend, WakeMed Soccer Park hosted a monumental NCAA championship matchup between the Virginia Cavaliers and the visiting Georgetown Hoyas. It was a long, high-scoring affair between two top-tier soccer squads. Both teams spent the first 90 minutes trading goals, which called for two overtime periods and an extended run of penalty kicks to determine a winner. Here is what I experienced as a photographer on the sideline.

I arrive at the soccer complex approximately 45 minutes before kickoff. I walked towards the stadium and quickly realized I was entering a scene unparalleled to previous sporting events. Although I have attended numerous professional soccer games at WakeMed Soccer Park, the vibes were better than I imagined.

To my right, a sea of passionate college fans bundled up in college fan gear swarmed the gates at the main entrance. Without delay, I fast-walked to the media check-in table. An older, bearded man with a long list of names handed me a media pass and blue sticker to wrap around my sleeve. My path to the field was located at the double door entrance to the locker rooms.

Before walking onto the cold, moist turf field, I quickly scanned the crowd and soaked in my surroundings. The cool air comprised of ecstatic cheering and smoke from the kitchens. I look to my right, and I see a student-filled section of seats swarmed by the colors of Virginia. Then I look to my left and saw another section controlled by students cheering on the Hoyas.

The warmup period looked nearly identical to every other soccer event I have covered and wasn’t easy to photograph. Players stretched, shared a laugh, took some shots on frame, and practiced a series of one-touch passing drills.

Moments later, the referee blew his whistle, and both teams wasted no time moving the ball swiftly up and down the sideline. I saw plenty of action in both penalty areas through the use of several creative set pieces and strategic corner kicks.

Most of the match looked clean, but players didn’t shy away from some slight pushing and assertive sliding to break up passes. Healthy competition kept the game close, which forced both coaches to adjust their gameplan to avoid falling behind.

Then the pace of the match changed. Crisp passes turned to sloppy kicks as both teams desperately tried to hold their lead in the final fifteen minutes of regular time. I heard numerous players yelling and projecting a few vulgar words at sideline referees. Players fell like dominoes while trying to create scoring opportunities. For a few minutes, I thought the main referee was close to losing control of the game, but he managed bookings accordingly and disciplined players promptly. Fans sat on the edge of their seats anxiously waiting for the outcome of the game.

In the end, the Hoyas outlasted the Cavaliers in penalty kicks and capped off a 17-win streak with their first championship trophy.

Coach’s Corner 12/06/19

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Vance County High School

Vance Co. HS Well-Represented in 3A’s ‘Big-Eight’ Conference Standings

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-Information courtesy the NCHSAA

The North Carolina High School Athletic Association has released the ‘Big-Eight’ All-Conference standings for 2019, and Vance County High School shines with two ‘player of the year’ honorees.

In football, Viper quarterback Samein Burwell was named ‘Offensive Player of the Year,’ while Emani Foster was awarded the coveted ‘Player of the Year’ title in volleyball.

The ‘Big-Eight’ 3A Conference includes VCHS, Southern Durham High School, Northwood High School, Northern Durham High School, Orange High School, East Chapel Hill High School, Cedar Ridge High School and Chapel Hill High School.

The list of VCHS student-athletes that made all-conference and honorable mention status in football, volleyball and soccer includes:

2019 ‘BIG-EIGHT’ 3A FOOTBALL 

Samein Burwell – ‘Offensive Player of the Year’

ALL-CONFERENCE:

Samein Burwell, Noah Terry, Phadol Jordan, TaQuan Lyons, Davonte Evans, Daunta Wimbush, Kemarreus Jones and William Hawkins IV

HONORABLE MENTION:

Demarius Harris, Jy’Kavious Judkins and Malik Williams

_______________________________________________________________________________

2019 ‘BIG-EIGHT’ 3A VOLLEYBALL

Emani Foster – ‘Player of the Year’

ALL-CONFERENCE:

Emani Foster

HONORABLE MENTION:

Kyra Mitchell and Kynnedy Keel

SPORTSMANSHIP:

Vance County High School

_______________________________________________________________________________

2019 ‘BIG-EIGHT’ 3A MEN’S SOCCER

ALL-CONFERENCE:

Jesus Zuniga

HONORABLE MENTION:

Diego Vasquez and Miguel Garcia

Duke Football Ends Season With Win Against Miami

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— story and pictures by Patrick Magoon (patrickmagoon.com) of WIZS — Patrick Magoon is a recent UNC-C communications graduate looking to build his sports portfolio by writing and taking photos for WIZS

In a sloppy, mistake-filled fight between two teams recovering from disappointing loses, Duke overcame its offensive woes in crunch time to defeat the Miami Hurricanes and finish their season with a not-so-great-but-optimistic-for-the-future record of 5-7 (3-5 Atlantic Coast Conference).

Duke Blue Devils quarterback Quentin Harris finished his college career on a high note, leading two fourth-quarter touchdown drives and ending an unpleasant five-game losing streak.

A dominant nine-sack defensive performance led by defensive end Chris Rumph II, who recorded a team-high 3.5 sacks, allowed just two touchdowns through four quarters of football.

Here are game grades from Saturday’s win:

Offensive line: C-

Duke’s offensive line crumbled under pressure multiple times, which allowed Miami’s defense to rack up six sacks and 10 TFL.

Quarterback: C+

Although Quentin Harris put on an impressive show in the fourth quarter, we cannot ignore his poor execution on several passing plays in the first half. Numerous passes sailed over the head of the intended receiver and Duke’s offensive unit often appeared disoriented from pre-snap motions. Harris completed just 10-of-24 passes for 156 yards and rushed for 49 yards and a touchdown.

Wide receivers: B-

The wide receiver group led by Jalon Calhoun combined for 156 yards and averaged 15.6 yards per reception. Despite some clear instances of miscommunication between Harris and his receivers, the group made some big plays in dreary weather.

Running backs: B

A relentless rushing attack in tough conditions resulted in a pair of touchdowns, which helped the Blue Devils seal the win. Duke outran Miami 131-98 with help from Mataeo Durant, who executed an impressive 42-yard run through traffic.

Defensive line/linebackers: B+

Duke’s stout defensive line and talented group of linebackers demonstrated superior situation awareness by constantly changing their stances to better contain Miami’s ground game. With strength and good communication, Duke’s front seven prevented the Hurricanes from reaching triple-digit rushing totals. After giving up an average of 42 points per game each of the last three weeks, a refreshed Blue Devils showed out to give fans hope for better seasons to come.

Cornerbacks: B+

Members of the secondary looked solid in man coverage, batting down six passes and forcing opposing receivers out of position. With their help, the Blue Devils gave up just one passing touchdown.

Vance County Friday Night Football Recap – Coach’s Corner 11/15/19

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Coach’s Corner Show 11/01/19

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Charlotte 49ers End Losing Streak With Win Against North Texas

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— story and pictures by Patrick Magoon (patrickmagoon.com) of WIZS — Patrick Magoon is a recent UNC-C communications graduate looking to build his sports portfolio by writing and taking photos for WIZS

On a warm, cloudy Saturday afternoon at Richardson Stadium in Charlotte, NC, the Charlotte 49ers stunned the visiting North Texas football team with an exciting bounce-back win. Despite reaching the end zone just once in the first half, the 49ers managed to seal a one-point win in crunch time. Here is how it went down.

North Texas got off to a hot start, moving the ball efficiently through the air. Quarterback Mason Fine threw back-to-back touchdown passes – one for 40 yards, and another went for 64 yards. In both cases, North Texas marched down the field in less than a minute-and-a-half.

Charlotte, in the first quarter, could not match North Texas’ dynamic passing attack, so they focused on moving the ball swiftly, through the ground game. Unfortunately, their success was insignificant. At the start of the second quarter, Charlotte had zero points and was down two scores.

Looking for answers, the 49ers relied heavily on the strength and quick feet of star running back Benny Lemay, who controlled the pace of Charlotte’s offensive unit. In total, he ran 30 times for 155 yards, which helped him reach the end zone twice.

Charlotte’s first scoring drive necessitated 13 plays and took just under six minutes off the game clock. Of those 13 plays, eight of them were handoffs to Lemay. Once Charlotte got within five yards of the goal line, Lemay exited the game briefly to catch his breath and Ishod Finger plowed his way into the end zone. However, upon further review, the call was overturned. Lemay came back out and finished the drive with a 1-yard rushing touchdown.

After the half, a renovated Charlotte offense took the field. Quarterback Chris Reynolds read the defense well and slung with football with accuracy. Several big plays including a 52-yard touchdown pass and a 29-yard Reynolds rushing touchdown shrunk North Texas’ lead to just one score.

When North Texas missed a field goal at the top of the fourth quarter, the 49ers found themselves in an excellent position to make a late push for the win. Charlotte, in the fourth quarter, outscored North Texas, 18-3, which secured the memorable victory.

Charlotte’s latest victory ended a four-game losing streak and claimed the college’s first win in C-USA (1-3 overall).

Coach’s Corner Show 10/18/19

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Coach’s Corner 10/11/19

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