MORRISVILLE — Green Hope’s boys soccer team outlasted a surprisingly tough West Johnston team 1-0 in the opening round of the NCHSAA 4-A playoffs on Wednesday.

Although the Wildcats came to Morrisville as a wild-card team and with as more losses (11) than wins (9), it gave the top-seeded Tri-Nine Conference champs everything it could handle.

Green Hope’s defense, ranked among the best in the state by allowing less than one per game, held true. The visiting Wildcats could barely posses the ball in the front third of the field without having a Falcon defender come in to clear it.

However, Green Hope’s offense was all but shut down by West Johnston goalkeeper Austin Tucker.

“Their goalkeeper played so well. If there was a man of the match, he won it – hands down, unanimous decision,” Green Hope coach Andrew Chadwick said.

There was no shortage of praise to go around for Tucker, who was believed to have at least 15 saves on the night with some coming in highlight-reel fashion.

“It was like they had 12 guys out there. They had 10 field players and two goalies. He was fantastic,” Chardwick said.

The lone goal for the Falcons came with 7:28 left in thefirst period, when Andrew Wolschlag’s cross couldn’t be fully squeezed by Tucker. A streaking Omar Shazly came running in to knock in the stray ball from point-blank range.

Chadwick said he wasn’t concerned about the lack of goals, as his team created enough to have a possible four or five.

“All you can do as a coach is create opportunities and hope one of them goes in,” Chadwick said. “I’d be concerned if we weren’t creating chances, but that wasn’t the case.”

Other Scores:

Apex 4, Northern Durham 0

Fuquay-Varina 3, Leesville Road 2

Sanderson 1, Middle Creek 0

Broughton 1, Athens Drive 0