Late goal sinks Forestview

ASHEVILLE - Asheville High senior Kenneth Lingerfelt stopped, swiveled and shot.

And with that, the Cougars had their third consecutive 1-0 victory in the NCHSAA soccer playoffs.

Forestview was the victim Wednesday at Memorial Stadium — three Jaguars markers in the vicinity of Lingerfelt all fell to the turf or showed some other form of exasperation after the senior struck with 19:35 remaining.

The goal was the 17th of the season for Lingerfelt, who will lead the Mountain Athletic Conference 3-A champion Cougars (16-6-4) into Saturday's fourth round against either Hickory (25-1-0) or South Point (10-10-2).

“Kenneth just finds a way,” Asheville coach Mike Flowe said.

“Forestview came in here as a No. 3 seed, but that's a very good team. One of our seniors, Wilkin Hanaway, did a really nice job on Danny Sassano for them. Sassano is an all-world kind of player so this is a great shutout for us.”

Neither team could capitalize in a scoreless first half. And possession was about evenly split between Asheville and the Jaguars (14-9-0).

Lingerfelt was double- and triple-teamed for much of the game, but finally got the clean look he needed midway through the second half. He then hit a hard shot from the top left corner of the 18-yard box that squirted past Forestview keeper Anderson Gibbons.

The Cougars outshot the Jaguars, 6-5.

Ethan Wallenius-Caldwell made two saves for his 10th shutout of the season.

“Both teams came out with a defensive strategy and that's why it took so long for either one of us to score,” Forestview coach David Shearer said.

“(Lingerfelt) got a good shot off and that was the difference-maker.”

Flowe said he's fine with his team continuing to live dangerously – the Cougars have also beaten St. Stephens and West Henderson with a single goal.

“As coaches, we talk all the time about playing good defense, getting your one goal and getting out of there,” he said.

“I guess that's what we're doing, but I sure got scared with some of the chances that Forestview had there towards the end.”