Despite the muddy, messy field, the Wolverines dominated Avery to keep a hold on the conference lead.
After a little slip n slide back and forth for the first part of the first half, the Wolverines finally struck with 11:02 left in the first half.
Russell McIntyre sent a corner kick towards the front of the goalie box and waiting in anticipation was Heath Culbreths head. Culbreth, as if on cue, used his patented header to put the ball in the net for Polks first score.
It was slippery, Culbreth said. Then we put one away and we got our confidence.
A little muddy back and forth continued until 3:04 left in the first half. With the first half waning, Jake Johnson streaked down the right side of the field and sent a perfect cross to a shadowing Tony Sciuva. Sciuva put a boot on it and the ball found net.
After halftime, the Vikings seemed motivated. They attacked Polks goalie Hugo Santos early in the half. Thirteen minutes into the second half, the Wolverines hadnt gotten off a shot.
But that all changed with a penalty kick.
Cole Weicker set up the shot and drilled it into the right corner of the net.
From that point on, the Wolverines commanded the game.
The frustration built up for the Vikings on the field, the bench and in the stands.
It all came to a head with 12:18 left in the match. A Viking defender pulled Polk forward Davie Abril to the ground and the referees afforded him Polks second penalty kick of the match.
At this call, Avery head coach Lou Brancourt began chiding the referee. The referee pulled a yellow card, then a red and sent Brancourt to the bus.
It took three minutes before Abril got to take his shot, but it didnt matter. He wasnt iced.
Abril sent the penalty kick into the back of the net, solidfying a 4-0 victory for the Wolverines who are now 3-0 in conference play.
In the postgame huddle, Charles had some encouraging news for his players.
The good news is that we played well and won, he said. The better news is that we can still play better.
Charles said that his team is going to have to learn to finish off teams they should beat early. He points to powerhouses like T.C. Roberson. They come out and dominate, erasing all hope early, he said.
Thats the difference, he said. We are not consistent enough yet in our approach to the game mentally. Were not finishing teams off. Those are two dangerous things.
The Wolverines played Mountain Heritage on Thursday night in a makeup game. Those scores werent available by press time.
Mondays match
The Wolverines beat Mitchell 4-1 on Monday. Benny Roman, McIntyre, Culbreth and Weicker each scored. McIntyre, Weicker and Culbreth each had an assist.