HS Soccer Stop: Gaston Day star won’t stop scoring, games to watch, Sweet 16 update

Gaston Day’s Marco Wright says he was a bit surprised when the goals started coming in bunches last season.

“Yeah, it was funny,” says Wright. “All of a sudden, I was scoring — a lot.”

By season’s end, Wright had 44 goals. That was second-best in the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association and fifth-best among all high schools in the state.

And in his senior season, he’s picked up where he left off last fall, when his team won the private schools’ 2A state championship.

In seven matches, Wright has 19 goals and five assists. He’s tied for third place statewide in goals and sixth in scoring.

“We want a killer on top,” Gaston Day coach Greg Lekavich says. “He’s that. We like a player who’s clever and fast. That’s Marco.”

Wright, a 6-1 striker, is all that.

He says he’s been playing soccer “since I could walk.” His father, Mark, grew up in Wolverhampton, England (he’s a fan of Manchester United, though — not the Wolverhampton Wolves) and played the sport.

Marco’s older brother, Max, played at Gaston Day, setting scoring records before moving on to American University, where he is playing as a senior.

“When I saw Max commit (to American), I began believing that maybe I could do that some day too,” Marco Wright says.

His 44-goal output last year broke Max’s school record of 36, set in 2018. He’s not sure if he can equal that total this fall.

“That’s a lot of scoring,” Marco says. “Teams are keying on me. Besides, we have a lot of other players on this team who can score.”

Repeating as state champion, he says, is most important.

Lekavich says Wright “leads by example.”

“He has an excellent soccer IQ,” the Spartans’ coach says. “He finds the gaps. He gets where he needs to be.”

Wright played at left fullback when he started at Gaston Day. He says his time on defense helped him.

“I think being at left back helped me see the whole game,” he says. “It helps me read what’s going on.”

In a 9-0 victory last week at Metrolina Christian, Wright scored three times, in a variety of ways. His first goal was on a soft lob, from the right side of the net. His second was on a blistering shot from about 15 yards out. His third was on a rebound. Wright watched what his teammates were doing and made sure he was in front of the net if the ball bounced out to him, as it did.

“This year, teams are defending me closely,” he says. “When they bump me, I try not to let it go to my head. I just keep my cool. We have no shortage of players on this team who can step up if I can’t.”

Big matches this week

TUESDAY

No. 16 Charlotte Country Day at Carmel Christian, 4 p.m. A victory by the visiting Buccaneers will stamp them as a legitimate private school state power. Carmel Christian, a state title contender in recent years, has been adjusting to a number of new faces this season.

Charlotte Catholic at No. 1 Providence, 7 p.m.: Providence opens Southwestern 4A play against a south Charlotte rival that has beaten South Mecklenburg and Raleigh-area power Green Level.

No. 4 Concord at No. 11 Mooresville, 7 p.m.: Concord has scored only seven goals in six matches. Mooresville scored five in its most recent match, against West Rowan.

No. 9 Garinger at Butler, 7 p.m.: Are the host Bulldogs for real? We’ll get an answer in this Southwestern 4A opener.

No. 2 Weddington at No. 8 Cox Mill, 7 p.m.: This is one of those nice matches that precedes the conference season. Each teams enters the match unbeaten.

THURSDAY

Butler at No. 1 Providence, 7 p.m.: Butler faces the Southwestern 4A’s top two teams in back-to-back matches.

No. 6 Hough at No. 8 Cox Mill, 7 p.m.: Nobody can accuse Cox Mill of building a soft schedule. Ditto for Hough, which faces Cardinal Gibbons and South Mecklenburg later this month.

No. 3 Weddington at No. 2 Myers Park, 7 p.m.: These teams played a thriller last season, with Myers Park winning 3-2. It’s probably the Match of the Week in the Charlotte area.

Soccer Sweet 16

Dropped out: Shelby (2A); Stuart Cramer (3A). In contention: Hopewell (3-1-2, 4A); Carmel Christian (3-1, Ind.); Salisbury (4-2, 2A); Butler (3-1-2, 4A); Sun Valley (3-1-2, 4A); Charlotte Catholic (3-2, 4A).