Providence’s Gramann scores, but West swept in boys, girls East-West all-star soccer
Providence’s Brock Gramann provided the late-game heroics Tuesday night, but it wasn’t enough to save the West from a 2-1 loss to the East in the 31st annual N.C. Coaches All-Star Game.
It was a tough night for the West’s high school soccer standouts, as the East rolled to a 6-2 victory earlier in the girls’ game.
Both matches were played at MacPherson Stadium in Browns Summit, near Greensboro.
The coaches’ association’s all-star week, which began Monday with two basketball games, concludes Wednesday night with the football classic. The West and East teams will play at 8 p.m. at Grimsley High in Greensboro.
West boys fall short
The East scored a pair of first-half goals, then held off a West surge in the closing 10 minutes for the victory.
Gramann, who will attend Queens University this fall, put the West on the scoreboard with 10:15 remaining, as he dribbled into the box and beat East goalkeeper Adam Maloy (Jordan High) with a blistering shot.
The West then kept the pressure on, especially in the closing five minutes. Gramann nearly scored on a direct kick with 5:30 left, as his shot skimmed the top of the net. The West had three other chances in the final few minutes, including another direct kick from Gramann that was blocked by an East defender.
Charlotte Catholic’s Gavin Banks played the entire game in goal for the West and made several spectacular saves.
But the East scored on a nifty play in the fourth minute, when Alexander Walker (Laney) dribbled past two West defenders, drawing Banks out of the goal. The East’s Jaden Reece (Jordan) then raced into the box, took a pass from Walker, and scored.
The East made it 2-0 in the 14th minute, when Tyler Petz (Green Hope) scored on a shot from 17 yards out. Walker, named the game’s Most Valuable Player, also assisted on that score.
The East outshot the West 10-6 and now leads the series 15-11-5. The East is 3-1-1 in the last five games.
East girls win big
Yaneli Sanchez scored three goals in the opening 27 minutes, as the East cruised to record-setting victory.
Sanchez, a Cleveland High product who will attend Methodist University, had the hat trick well before halftime, helping the East build a 4-1 halftime lead.
The East broke the girls’ soccer all-star game record for most goals by a team, and the teams tied the record for most goals by two teams. That originally was set in 1996, in a 5-3 West victory.
The East dominated this time, though.
The East outshot the West 24-11, with Sanchez taking 10 of those shots. The East piled up a 13-4 advantage in shots in the first half.
Emily Ford (Heritage) opened the scoring, in the 10th minute. Sanchez made it 2-0 in the 20th minute on a 16-yard left-footed attempt.
Reagan Williams (West Forsyth) narrowed the gap to 2-1 with a goal in the 22nd minute, but the East pulled away on goals by Sanchez in the 24th and 27th minutes.
Carter Ramey (Millbrook) and Ford scored in the second half, as the East built its lead to 6-1.
South Point’s Grace Smith, one of the state’s top scorers this spring, scored for the West on an 11-yard kick with about seven minutes remaining.
Sanchez, not surprisingly, was named the game’s Most Valuable Player.
The East is 5-0-2 in the game since 2015, and Tuesday’s victory knotted the series overall at 11-11-9.
Steve Lyttle on Twitter: @slyttle
