Second-year Jacksonville soccer head coach Joey Mahouchick said it loudly and often.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s good work,\u201d he repeated yelled during the first half of the second-seeded Cardinals\u2019 NCHSAA 6-A second-round match against No. 15 White Oak on Thursday night.<\/p>\n
Indeed, it was fine work by Jacksonville in an 8-1 triumph.<\/p>\n
Behind three goals and two assists by junior Landon Adams and two goals by junior Noah Nantes, the Cardinals downed the Vikings for the third time this season to advance to the third round.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had a 15-minute spell in the first half where that was some of the best soccer we\u2019ve played all season,\u201d Mahouchick said. \u201cIt\u2019s win or go home. I am really proud of their effort and hopefully we keep it going.\u201d<\/p>\n
Seniors Chase Crawford and Ryan Hanks each had a goal and an assist, sophomore Teagan Addy added a goal, and senior Jude Sawyer had two assists for Jacksonville (15-4-2), which led 4-1 at the break.<\/p>\n
Next up for the Cardinals is a home fixture Monday with seventh-seeded Northern Nash (14-4-2), which topped No. 10 South View 3-2 on Thursday.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the best team chemistry we have had all year and the best we\u2019ve played all year,\u201d Crawford said. \u201cWe were confident. We beat White Oak both times, but we knew we couldn\u2019t underestimate anyone because it\u2019s the playoffs. Everyone understood that and everyone played well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jacksonville downed White Oak 5-0 in the first meeting but had to work for a 2-1 result in the second match. The Cardinals were aware the Vikings (8-12-2) would come to play.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was key was our mentality,\u201d Adams said. \u201cThey had a lot of confidence coming into this game, but we wanted to win. The last game was way too close … and we didn\u2019t want to give them a chance today.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adding to the victory was the reality that the Cardinals have gone 14 matches without losing to the Vikings. The teams tied 3-3 draw last year, but White Oak has not topped Jacksonville since a 3-2 win in 2017.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt means a lot and it shows our consistency with our program,\u201d Nantes said. \u201cIt shows that we never get our heads too big and that we always come out to win. We came out with more focus and intensity, especially in warm-ups.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nantes gave the Cardinals a 1-0 lead 12 minutes in off an assist from Sawyer before Adams booted a 25-yard free kick into the goal just two minutes later.<\/p>\n
Adams scored his second goal about 11 minutes later while he completed the hat trick seven minutes into the second half to make it 5-1.<\/p>\n
White Oak\u2019s goal by senior Josiah Mattocks came with 3:36 left in the opening half to make it 4-1, but that\u2019s all the Vikings mustered against the defense of senior Greyson Deupree, junior Connor Foor and sophomores Cannon Smith and Cooper Williams.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wouldn\u2019t say we were nervous. We were excited,\u201d Nantes said. \u201cWe were pretty confident going in. We were ready, intense and aggressive and we did our jobs.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Cardinals now hope that style carries over into the third round.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to keep playing like this,\u201d Crawford said. \u201cEveryone was involved and everyone is good enough to make a play. We don\u2019t have a star player, but everyone can do something, and it showed today.\u201d<\/p>\n