Hammerheads Advance to Semi’s

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August 26, 2012

Richmond-Wilmington — Courtesy: United Soccer League

RICHMOND, Va. – The Wilmington Hammerheads advanced to the semifinals of the USL PRO Playoffs as they took a thrilling 3-2 victory against the Richmond Kickers on Saturday night. Tom Parratt scored the winning goal in second-half stoppage time, earning the Hammerheads revenge for their elimination from the playoffs a season ago at the hands of the Kickers, and into a contest on Friday night against Orlando City for a place in the USL PRO Championship game.

Richmond dominated the early stages of the match, with Matthew Delicâte hitting the crossbar with his headed effort in the third minute. Wilmington’s starting goalkeeper Alex Horwath picked up a hamstring injury in the seventh minute, and backup keeper Troy Hernandez entered the game to earn his first minutes of the season. Delicâte earned a free kick just outside the box in the 11th minute, and Sascha Goerres provided the first test of the night for Hernandez with a curling strike around the wall. The Wilmington keeper got a hand to it, but it deflected straight to Jason Yeisley inside the six-yard box. The Richmond forward slotted his shot into the empty net to give the Kickers the early lead.

Wilmington came into the game following the goal and nearly scored with a dangerous free kick of their own in the 13th minute, but Ronnie Pascale was able to make the save. Yeisley nearly added a second for Richmond in the 28th minute, but his powerful header was cleared off the line by the Wilmington defense. Hagop Chirishian put a 35th-minute Wilmington free kick on target, but Pascale was able to punch the shot over the bar to safety, keeping his side ahead at the halftime break.

The Hammerheads started the second half brightly, with striker Andres Cuero testing Pascale from close range in the 47th minute, but the shot-stopper was equal to the task. Edson Elcock replaced Stanley Nyazamba for the Kickers in the 54th minute, and the pacy forward nearly doubled Richmond’s lead with his 68th minute individual effort that came off the crossbar.

Wilmington countered quickly following the shot by Elcock. Substitute Steven Perry played a ball to Troy Cole at the penalty spot, and the midfielder blasted a low shot under the diving Pascale to tie the score. Perry added a goal of his own three minutes later when Chirishian’s corner kick skipped through the crowd of players in front of the goal to the back post, where the forward tucked his shot into the bottom corner of the net.

The Kickers introduced Mike Burke, Nozomi Hiroyama and Christopher Agorsor after Wilmington took the 2-1 lead, and the substitutes made a positive impact in the final third for Richmond. Mike Burke curled a ball to the near post from a 79th minute corner kick, and fellow substitute Elcock snapped a header into the top corner to level the score again.

Wilmington pushed forward in waves in the final 10 minutes of the match and Richmond escaped going behind in the 89th minute when Corey Hertzog turned his shot over the crossbar from close range. Richmond appeared to have escaped the onslaught when they cleared the ball in the final minute of stoppage time, but Wilmington defender Tom Parratt kept the ball in play along the touchline. Parratt swung in a deep cross from the right side that floated over the head of Pascale and nestled into the side netting on the far side to give the Hammerheads the 3-2 victory and a place in the semifinals.

Lady Bucs win at Tidal Wave

By

Joe Catenacci

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August 26, 2012

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The annual Tidal Wave Volleyball tournament wrapped up on Saturday afternoon at Wilmington Christian Academy. Down one game in the championship match; the Laney Bucs rallied to beat WCA to take the title for the second straight year. For Coach Ruby Sutton, she was looking for self discipline and a better effort after dropping the first game. “I told my girls that we need to have more concentration from the first serve, to the first pass to win” Coach Sutton said. Laney started single elimination play as the number one seed after the five teams competing faced each other in the Round Robin portion of the tournament Friday. Wilmington Christian finished with the second place trophy, South Brunswick also took third after defeating Dixon in the consolation game.

Football Roundup: Saturday addition, Hoggard over 71st, Lane leads Laney, N Brunswick beats Trask

By

Joe Catenacci

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August 26, 2012

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Wilmington– Junior Quarterback Christian Poveromo had no trouble engineering the Hoggard offensive Saturday in a 38-6 win over 71st. Sheldon Cooper scored a pair of touchdowns from inside the 5 yard line for his second and third trips to the end zone this year and Keevin Thompson also had a fourteen yard TD run for the Vikings. Thirty one of the team’s points came in the 1st half as James Punkett also added a 30 yard field goal. Hoggard improved to 2-0 on the year and will gear up this week for a road game in Pembroke against Purnell Swett on Friday.

Wilmington- The Laney Bucs(1-1) picked up their first win of the season 21-14 over Union in their home opener Saturday night. Tariq Lane led the air attack with two long touchdown passes and put the tie ball game away in the fourth quarter with a 40 yard touchdown run. Lane connected with Carlos Mack for 40 yards and Jared Kelly for 55 yards for the scores. Jeavonne Batts also rushed for 106 yards on 13 carries and Junior Linebacker Colt Culler had 17 tackles in the win. Union fought back in the second half by scoring from inside the goal line. The Spartans also blocked a punt that was returned for a touchdown. The Bucs will hit the road next week to take on South Brunswick(1-1).

Rocky Point- N. Brunswick (2-0) 26 Trask (0-2)

Lady Sea Devils open up season on right foot

By

Joe Catenacci

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August 26, 2012

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CFCC Women’s Soccer opened up the 2012 NJCAA regular season today with a 5-1 win over Anne Arundel CC (Md.). Freshman Forward Jodi Barber (White Oak HS) scored 3 goals and had an assist to lead all scorers. Haley Laurie and Jaime Berti also scored for the SeaDevils. GK’s Kerinn Hall and Samantha Walker shared time in goal, and registered 4 saves. CFCC out-shot AACC 22 to 5. The SeaDevils record is 1-0-0 and play The College of Southern Maryland, Sunday at 1pm at the North Campus Soccer Field.

VanCompernolle, Dell Score As UNCW Ties

By

Joe Catenacci

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August 25, 2012

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Sophomores Jacob VanCompernolle and Jamie Dell both notched goals and UNCW played with 10 men for the final 43 minutes of the game as the Seahawks forged a 2-all draw with UNC Greensboro in the season opener for both sides at the UNCW Soccer Stadium on Friday.

UNCW goalkeeper Brandon Bolen made six saves in his first career start and faced 20 shots as the Spartans built a 20-16 advantage in shots on the evening.

UNCG opened the scoring in the 23rd minute when Oddur Gudmundsson headed home a cross from Michael Holzer. Maximillian Schulz began the play and was credited with an assist on the goal.

VanCompernolle answered for the Seahawks in the 35th minute by heading home a cross from the right side by senior Etienne Boulanger. A corner kick was served into the penalty area and Colin Bonner aimed a header to the far post, but as the ball sailed wide, Boulanger sent the ball back into the penalty area for VanCompernolle, who was sitting eight yards from the goal.

UNCW needed less than four minutes in the second half to take its first lead of the evening. Dell received a pass on the left wing, took a touch past UNCG goalkeeper Peyton Ford toward the end line and slid his shot into an open goal for a 2-1 lead in the 49th minute.

The Spartans drew even on Schulz’s goal in the 53rd minute. Dustin Gamdrat flicked on a deflected pass to an open Schulz, who connected from 10 yards out.

UNCW threatened to break the deadlock in the 72 minute when senior Thomas Driver broke in on the left flank and beat a defender, but his shot sailed just over the crossbar.

The Seahawks held a 3-1 advantage in shots in the overtime periods, but neither side could get a shot on frame. Sophomore Jack Ward had UNCW’s best chance to end the game in the first overtime, but his attempt from the top of the penalty area was far right.

UNCG’s Ford finished with three saves to his credit.

Both teams combined for seven cautions and a red was served to UNCW’s Jose Garcia, who was shown yellow earlier in the match.

The Seahawks visit long-time rival Campbell on Aug. 29 for a 7 p.m. start against the Camels. UNCW and Campbell have met on the pitch every season since 1969 with CU holding a 25-20-1 advantage in the series.

UNCW opens Beach Bash with a W

By

Joe Catenacci

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August 25, 2012

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WILMINGTON — Junior Christi Laite and sophomore Morgan Kline posted 12 and 10 kills, respectively, to lead UNCW to a 3-0 (25-23, 25-17, 25-16) victory over High Point in collegiate volleyball action in the Courtyard Wilmington Beach Bash Friday at Hanover Hall. The contest served as the season opener for both programs.

Both teams return to action Saturday at the Courtyard Wilmington Beach Bash. High Point faces LIU Brooklyn at 10:30 a.m. before UNCW takes on Delaware State at 1 p.m. High Point and Delaware State return to the court at 5 p.m. while UNCW and LIU Brooklyn close out the tournament with a 7:30 p.m. contest.

Laite and Kline highlighted a UNCW lineup that combined for a .286 hitting percentage for the match. Senior setter Natalie LaHaie dished out a match-high 33 assists to quarterback a balanced Seahawks attack that saw five players record more four kills or more. Senior Jennifer Mallard pitched in seven spikes while sophomore McKenzie Keightley notched six kills on nine attempts for a .667 attack clip.

Defensively, Mallard posted a game-high 12 digs while Laite added 10 to finish with a double-double. Freshman libero Lindsay Hartmann tallied nine digs in her collegiate debut.

Senior Courtney Johnk posted 12 kills and sophomore Chelsea Davis added eight for High Point, who was limited to a .131 hitting percentage for the contest, including a (-.029) clip in the second frame. Sophomore Maddie Simpson dished out 26 assists and added nine digs while Davis posted a team-high 10 bumps for the Panthers.

In an opening set that featured a total of nine ties and three lead changes, UNCW took advantage of a 5-2 spurt late in the frame to break open an 18-all tie and take a 24-20 lead. High Point responded with three straight points to pull within one, 24-23, but a kill by Laite, one of seven for the Severna Park, Md., product in the first set, gave the Seahawks a 25-23 victory.

Game two saw UNCW use a 15-3 run to erase a 4-0 deficit and build a commanding 15-7 cushion midway through the frame as it cruised to a 25-17 victory.

The Seahawks maintained their momentum in the third set as they never trailed in the decisive frame. UNCW opened up a quick 7-3 advantage before using a 9-4 run later in the frame to take its largest lead of the set, 23-14. The two sides then traded points before a Panthers attack error gave the Seahawks a 25-16 victory and the match.

A Wild Night under the Lights; Friday night Roundup

By

Joe Catenacci

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August 25, 2012

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It was a wild night on the football field Friday as the New Hanover Wildcats pulled out a big win on the road against the defending Four A State Champions in Scotland County. Montrell Baldwin carried the load in the sloppy conditions for Hanover with two touchdowns which included the go ahead score in a 21-16 win for the Wildcats(2-0). The ground attack was a common theme Friday for many of the teams in action, as the South Brunswick Cougars attempted just one pass attempt in a forty one, forty win over Ashley. Jahkril Smith scored the game winner in overtime for South Brunswick(1-1) and the Cougar defense came up with a big goaline stand and stopped a two point conversation to win the game. Junior quarterback Chris Kane threw for a touchdown and ran for four touchdowns in the losing effort for Ashley(0-2). Coach Tony Hudson and the Pender Patriots(1-1) also picked up their first win of the season in a come from behind upset of sorts over Topsail high School(1-1)22-20. Whiteville(1-1) also beat West Columbus 41-8, South Columbus(2-0) over Red Springs 36-20 and Wallace Rose dropped to (0-2) on the year in a 14-7 loss to Clinton.

A few games were postponed on Friday due to the wet weather and have been re-scheduled for today.

Socastee (SC) @ W Brunswick 4pm

71st @ Hoggard 4pm

N Brunswick @ Trask 7pm

Union @ Laney 730pm

Market Street oaks set for ‘reforestation’

By

benbrown

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August 25, 2012

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WILMINGTON — They’re regal, mighty, and Wilmington wouldn’t be the same without them. But they’re getting on in years.

Some of the laurel oaks that spread over Market Street between 16th and 21st streets are more than 70 years old, with tendrils of Spanish moss hanging from their branches like gray hair. Many are rotting inside-out in what could become a hazard for the motorists who travel under their canopy.

Commuters beneath the branches of the aging oak trees on Market Street in Wilmington. (Port City Daily photo/ BEN BROWN)

Those are among considerations in a multi-partner “reforestation” effort underway for the tree corridor, which the Historic Wilmington Foundation (HWF) placed on its list of “Most Threatened Historic Places” last year.

“They add so much to the quality of the city,” HWF Executive Director George Edwards said of the aging oaks, noting the sense of community and character they provide. “But you have to maintain that canopy.”

Doing so might involve the removal of 12 to 20 of the oldest or unhealthiest specimens along the five-block stretch of Market Street while new trees are planted, Edwards said.

“The laurel oaks have been suffering for years from heart rot, which is when organisms get into the core of the tree and essentially start eating it from the inside,” Edwards explained. “It may look great to you and me, it’s got green leaves, but on the inside it’s rotting.” Scrapes and knocks from automobiles haven’t helped the trees’ health, he added.

For more than a year HWF has worked to raise funds—it collected $2,200 during an event at the Bellamy Mansion last week—and has so far accumulated about $6,000 to combine with a state grant the City of Wilmington is pursuing for the project.

If awarded to the city, that $50,000 highway beautification grant from the N.C. Department of Transportation (DOT) could give partners enough money for the entire reforestation. Edwards added that the DOT would water the new oak plantings for the entire first year.

“As the older trees die, as they will, these newer trees will come up and replace them,” said Wilmington City Councilman Kevin O’Grady, who presented a unanimously approved resolution of support for the project at council’s Aug. 21 meeting. “Thirty, 40 years from now, our grandchildren will come to Wilmington and they will be able to enjoy the same canopy that we see there today.”

Wilmington Tree Commission Vice-Chairman Bill Jayne, another partner, said the trees are a vital part of the city as they create “a true neighborhood where walking is encouraged and neighbors know each other.”

Jayne is also the head of the corridor area’s community group, the Carolina Place-Ardmore Neighborhood Association, which he said has also committed to watering the plantings.

The partners in the reforestation plan to plant high-rise live oaks, a sturdy species that Edwards said grows taller than the laurel oaks currently in place. It’s also a faster-growing tree.

When planted, “They’ll already be a decent size—a two-, three-, four-inch caliper tree—and the tree is going to stand in the vicinity of 12, 13, 14 feet,” Edwards said. “I’ve been told they can maybe double in size in seven to nine years.”

Planting could begin in late fall, he said.

The effort was inspired by a similar, city-community-based oak revitalization conducted along Fifth Avenue last year, partners said. That project, which planted 78 live oaks—and more are on the way—recently earned Wilmington recognition as “Tree City USA of the Year” from the N.C. Forest Service. Indeed, the narrative attached to the award said the project “stands as an example of public-private collaboration and a model for future reforestation projects within the city.”

Edwards said the subsequent Market Street reforestation likely will make way for another.

“Everybody loves a tree, just about,” he said. “Hardly a soul out there who doesn’t love a tree.”

Magic Johnson to headline UNCW lecture

By

Steve Moore

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August 24, 2012

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Former NBA superstar is scheduled to speak at UNCW in October.

WILMINGTON — Former National Basketball Association star Magic Johnson will headline a lecture at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington next month.

UNCW officials say Johnson’s appearance is a gift from UNCW Trustee Wilma Daniels as part of the Wilma Daniels Distinguished Lecture Promoting Diversity and Tolerance.

Johnson is slated to speak at 7 p.m. October 11 at Trask Coliseum. The event is free and open to the public, but tickets will be required.

According to event organizers, Johnson, now an entrepreneur and philanthropist, will focus his lecture on overcoming challenges, achieving personal goals and building a successful life.

UNCW officials are working with local schools and youth groups to bring in area middle school students to hear Johnson’s lecture.

“UNCW has excellent initiatives related to diversity and tolerance, which this new lecture will build upon and strengthen. I wanted to work with the university to bring someone to campus to inspire young people, and to forge deeper relationships between the local African American community and the campus,” Daniels said.

UNCW Chancellor Gary Miller said the lecture reflects the university’s values.

“As an institution, UNCW is dedicated to the journey of learning, including the great diversity of culture and ethnicities of humankind, a love of place—especially this community, and a commitment to ideas and innovation. These values are supported when we bring in guest speakers to share their ideas and perspectives with the community,” Miller said.

Tickets to Johnson’s lecture will be available beginning September 24 from the UNCW ticket office in Trask Coliseum.

For more information about the Daniels Lecture and Magic Johnson, go to www.uncw.edu/daniels or call (910) 962-3233.

Games cancelled; Wet weather, poor field conditions

By

Joe Catenacci

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August 24, 2012

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A few area High School football games have been postponded tonight due to the soaking rains across the region this week.

North Brunswick @ Trask PPD Kickoff Sat.8/25 7pm Rocky Point

Socastee HS @ West Brunswick PPD Kickoff Sat.8.25 4pm Shallotte