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Ardrey Kell knew it was the better team entering the first round of the N.C. 4A boys' soccer playoffs Tuesday. But it took the Knights more than a half to prove it as they erupted for four second-half goals to cruise past Pfafftown Reagan on their way to a 4-0 win.
"I think we felt the pressure early on, and we played a little bit tight," forward Giuseppie Gentile said. "After we scored the first one, everything seemed to come a lot easier. We got into a scoring rhythm."
Gentile, who leads his team with 23 goals, got the Knights going when he took a perfectly struck free kick from Landon Barfoot and redirected a header into the net less than two minutes into the second half to give his team a 1-0 advantage.
"It took us a while to adjust to the way they were playing defensively," Knights coach Jeff Mercado said. "But once we had a chance to make the adjustments, we started to finish our opportunities."
The Knights (15-3-2), who outshot Reagan 25-0, scored often from there, with Ryan Field connecting on another header off a corner kick played by Conner Miller during the 50th minute. Then, Brett Luccia scored on a perfectly threaded pass from Gentile in the 65th minute. Miller added the final goal on another set play when he headed in Barfoot's second assist in the 76th minute.
While the Knights offense heated up, their defense was strong all game against the Raiders (10-10-2), as goalkeeper James Calvert got his 12th shutout of the season, his seventh during the past 12 games.
"I think it was important for us to come out and play well tonight," Mercado said, whose team is 9-1-2 since losing to No.3 Myers Park on Sept.22. "We have played as good as anyone the last month. We hope this is just the beginning" of a playoff run.
Ardrey Kell, No.7 in the state and No.8 in the Observer's Sweet 16, will play at Southwest Guilford (21-0-3) either Friday or Saturday night. The Cowboys advanced with a 2-0 victory Tuesday against Western Guilford (8-10-1).
