CARY – Senior goalkeeper Will Mackvick came up with a couple of big saves in the penalty kick phase to help Raleigh Broughton nip North Mecklenburg 2-1 in the North Carolina High School Athletic Association state 4-A men’s soccer championship at SAS Soccer Park on Saturday night.
Mackvick, who also had several other spectacular saves on the night, stopped North Meck shooters twice in the first four attempts while Broughton made three of its first four. But after Clyde Kohlmeir tallied for North on its fifth kick, Broughton’s Tyler Duncan rammed one home to lift the Capitals to the title with a 4-3 edge in penalty kicks. Mackvick, who is headed to N.C. State, was named the championship match Most Valuable Player.
Watt Williams put Broughton on top 1-0 with just over eight minutes left in regulation with his 12th goal of the season, but the Vikings came back to knot the score at 1-1 on senior forward Drew Toler’s goal at 76:01, his 36th of the year.
Toler’s tally was on a penalty kick after Mackvick was called for a foul in the box.
The two teams battled through a pair of 10-minute overtime periods and then two five-minute sudden victory stanzas for a total of 110 minutes of play before heading into penalty kicks.
Broughton won its first men’s soccer state championship and ended the season with 21 consecutive victories, winding up 26-1. North Mecklenburg made its third trip to a state soccer final but the Vikings are still looking for their first crown. North lost for the first time after 22 straight wins and finished second in the state for the second consecutive year.
In the 1-A championship, Dixon scored three second-half goals to rally from a 1-0 halftime deficit and defeat Polk County 3-1.
Polk County had grabbed a 1-0 advantage in the game’s first 10 minutes on a goal by Russell Kooistra, but the Bulldogs struck for a pair of tallies in a span of 3:35 early in the second half and then put it away with a goal with 4:25 to play.
The Bulldogs tied the score at the 44:07 mark on a goal by Cory Bowman, and then freshman midfielder Cameron Pitz scored at 47:42 to give Dixon the lead for good. A goal by sophomore forward James Hansley late in the contest put it away for Dixon.
Dixon played most of the game without its leading scorer, Sean Oliveira, who suffered a head injury and was unable to play thereafter. But Dixon’s balance and depth made a difference in the contest, especially in the second half.
Dixon senior forward Justin Oliver, who had an outstanding all-around game, was voted the Most Valuable Player in the Championship.
The Bulldogs earned their first NCHSAA men’s soccer championship in a rematch of the 2003 title game in which Polk beat the Bulldogs 2-1. Dixon ended the season with a record of 14-5-2 after being 4-4-2 at one point.
The Wolverines were in their third state title appearance and had previously captured state titles in 2001 and ’03. Polk finished at 21-5-1 and had outscored its opponents in the playoffs by an 18-3 count prior to the final.
Wendy’s and the Carolina Ford Dealers are the presenting sponsors of the NCHSAA sports program.
