North Carolina High School Sports
The Wakefield Wolverines earned the program’s first North Carolina High School Athletic Association Men’s Soccer Championship with a dramatic 3-2 win against Marvin Ridge on Saturday at the Mecklenburg Sportsplex. Wakefield built a 2-0 lead in the first half thanks to goals from Diego Vasquez and Santiago Londono-Palomino. Londono-Palomino assisted with the first goal, and Ibra Ndiaye assisted with the second. After halftime, the Mavericks applied more pressure and worked their way back into the match. Collin McKee put Marvin Ridge on the board in the 47th minute off an assist from Cassias, and in the 68th minute, Brady Lloyd converted on a penalty kick to tie the score. Lloyd attempted a penalty kick in the first half, just seconds after Vasquez’s opening goal but it was saved by Wakefield keeper Davidson Sauls. With just six minutes remaining in the contest, Zayd Dahir floated a shot into the corner of the goal to retake the lead for Wakefield. Ndiaye provided the assist again, and he was named the Most Valuable Player of the Championship for his performance. Despite a furious effort from the Mavericks in the closing minutes, the Wolverines held on for the win. Sauls finished the afternoon with eight saves. Marvin Ridge led in most of the statistical categories except for the final score, as they outshot the Wolverines 18-10, had more shots on target (11-4), earned more corners (8-3), and had a 55-45 edge in possession. The Wolverines are now 1-0 in NCHSAA Championship Matches, while Marvin Ridge is now 3-2, with its last title coming in 2016. Wakefield finished the season 24-4, while the Mavericks wrapped up 2024 18-4-3. The NCHSAA is committed to recognizing outstanding sportsmanship in each of our State Championship events. The Association has partnered with the North Carolina Farm Bureau to award a pair of Sportsmanship Awards at each championship event, recognizing players who have demonstrated the ideals of outstanding character and sportsmanship throughout the 2024 season. The winners of the 4A Men’s Soccer NC Farm Bureau Sportsmanship Awards were Will Palmer from Marvin Ridge and Gabriel Riehle from Wakefield.
Team championship histories are available exclusively to Varsity NC subscribers.