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TARBORO - One characteristic of a team featuring a roster of talented players who are young and inexperienced is the squad might lose against a lesser opponent but then turn around and beat a top-echelon squad.
So far this season, the Roanoke Rapids High School boys soccer team has played three games and compiled a record of 1-1-1.
The Yellow Jackets' win came Tuesday in the first round of the four-team Tarboro Classic - a 4-3 overtime defeat of D.H. Conley, the best opponent of the three faced.
After becoming accustomed to winning for many years, Roanoke Rapids head coach Terry Frazier is learning to live with some patience as his youthful team full of developing players works its way through the growing stage.
“It was a sweet win,” Frazier said. “It's about time we pulled something off and we did.”
D.H. Conley got the only goal in a mostly defensive first half, scoring just before the end of the 40-minute period.
The Northern Carolina Conference 2A Yellow Jackets got the equalizer about eight minutes into the second half on a penalty kick by senior Seth Wright.
Wright, who was moved to fullback as part of a starting lineup shuffle by Frazier, got control of the ball in the back, moved it upfield and sent it to sophomore midfielder Larry Frazier.
Frazier sent it back to Wright on the offensive end and he was fouled in the box.
Roanoke Rapids took a 2-1 lead 10 minutes later when senior Josh Curley stuck one in the back of the net with an assist by Frazier (no relation to his coach).
With 11 minutes left, the Coastal 3A/4A Conference Vikings tied the scored with a penalty kick following a hand ball in the box, making necessary the two 10-minute overtime periods.
Wright put the Yellow Jackets back on top midway through the first overtime session by knocking in a 25-yard free kick from the top of the box.
Roanoke Rapids built a two-goal advantage during the second overtime when Curley made a run at goal and sent a lofting shot over the advancing Viking keeper's head.
D.H. Conley kept pressure on the rest of the way and cut the deficit to 4-3 with 1:30 left, but the Jackets held on.
“It was all we could do to hold them off,” coach Frazier said.
Roanoke Rapids at times had as many as five freshmen on the field at once. One of those was goalie Logan Ramirez, who had an up-and-down performance and finished with eight saves.
“He took the wrong angle a couple of times, but came up smelling like a rose other times,” coach Frazier said. “But he did what he needed to do for us to win.”
The Vikings outshot the Yellow Jackets 21-15 in the contest. The victory earned Roanoke Rapids a chance to play East Wake (a first-round winner over Tarboro) in tonight's tournament final (7 p.m. start).
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