But Gonzales entered Tuesday’s N.C. Coaches Association boys’ soccer all-star game as Wake County’s all-time leader in single-season goals, and the target was on him.

Not that it mattered; the lanky yet graceful forward from Fuquay-Varina played a part in both of the East’s goals in a 3-2 loss to the West.

He wasn’t happy with how he played against players who knew what to expect after his Most Valuable Player performance in the Clash of the Carolinas all-star game July 7.

“I felt like I struggled. I was just trying to do too much at times,” Gonzales said.

The West team may disagree with that assessment.

In the ninth minute, Gonzales pressured and stole the ball from a West defender, taking just another touch before tucking in the game’s first goal. In the 52nd minute, Gonzales was in the middle of a scrum in the box when he hit the ground but was alert enough to see Logan McGlynn (Hampstead Topsail) to his left.

Gonzales, who will play at Louisburg Junior College next year, got a foot on the ball, tapping it to McGlynn, who ripped the East’s second goal.

“I went for a shot and it got blocked and I was on the ground. I poked it to my teammate, and he finished it,” said Gonzales, who transferred to Fuquay-Varina during his sophomore year and was ineligible his junior season.

It wasn’t enough for the win, as the West got two goals from game MVP Trey Hemphill (Asheville Roberson 15th, 43rd) and one more from Jerry Zeller (Shelby) in the 61st minute. The end-of-game intensity was noticed by both coaches, who talked to each other near midfield in the game’s final minutes.

“We kind of talked to ourselves at the very end and said, ‘How come this feels like a state playoff game?’ ” said East coach Mike Dunphy, the coach and athletics director at Cary.

Eight of the 11 East starters were from the Triangle, including Cary’s Joel Ahearne-Ray, Apex’s Alex Herbst, Fuquay-Varina’s Andrew Sotak and Gonzales.

East girls grind out 1-1 draw

She didn’t score a goal and she didn’t get an assist, but that’s not unusual for Cardinal Gibbons graduate Hannah Holub, a Cary resident.

Through the course of the N.C. Coaches Association East-West all-star game Tuesday, the unsung heroism of being a player on the back line couldn’t go unnoticed in the 1-1 tie.

Holub, who started at right back just as she did for the Crusaders, blocked shots and turned away one West attacker after another.

“The defense doesn’t get much credit; you learn to deal with that. I’m not looking for credit, I’m just out there to have a good time and play hard,” said Holub, who will play at Richmond next season.

It was the second straight season in which the game ended in a 1-1 tie, but it could easily have been a 2-2 tie. Each side missed a penalty kick.

Also playing for the East were Apex’s Katie Thomas and Cardinal Gibbons’ Caitlin Donovan, a Fuquay-Varina resident.