By Charlie Bergmann: Staff Writer

The night before, the Union Pines boys’ soccer team led East Montgomery 1-0 before being stunned by a four-goal barrage midway through the first half of an eventual 5-2 home loss.

Wednesday, the Vikings, now 2-3, took care of things at both ends in defeating Anson County 7-0. They allowed the visitors only four shots the whole game and broke things open with six goals in the second half.

Brothers Padraig and Brendan Gibbons each scored twice and Carson McClean recorded two assists to lead the Viking attack. Freshman goalkeeper Kris Wahl had two saves while picking up the team’s first shutout win of the season.

Senior sweeper Kory Gray was one of a number of Viking defenders determined to atone for Tuesday’s lapses in the back.

“We wanted to make sure we had a shutout tonight,” he said. “We knew we needed to stay focused and play with a lot of intensity, and communicate with each other for the whole game.”

The Vikings only goal of the first half was a collaboration by a couple of freshmen. McClean lofted a diagonal ball over the Bearcat defense to Brendan Gibbons who finished it in stride. A whistle for a Viking foul by one of the officials negated a second goal by Eli Vaughn off of a throw-in by Brett Norbury.

“I thought we clogged up a little inside in the first half,” Union Pines coach Chris Hadlock said. “We talked at halftime about spacing ourselves better. Once we opened things up, we had a lot of guys breaking through.”

A heavy rain shower began during the intermission and continued into the early minutes of the second half. In the 43rd minute, freshman Jordan Mebane walked on to a weak Bearcat clearance and rattled a shot off the top of the left post and into the goal from about 30 yards away. Padraig Gibbons first goal, from McClean, and his brother’s second, off of a long ball from defender Jarrod Hayslette, made it 4-0 with 30 minutes left in the match.

The onslaught resumed with Sean Lutke heading home a corner kick by Craig Eury in the 60th minute. Another goal by Padraig Gibbons (from Jordan Mebane) and one by Norbury, on a long solo run down the left side, completed the scoring.

Union Pines finished with 29 shots. Bearcat goalkeeper Dallas Levine, who helped keep his team close in the first half, recorded nine saves. Anson fell to 0-4.

Hadlock said that when he got his team together for the first time before the game, the topic was defense.

“I showed them the stat sheet and told them we are giving up a lot of soft goals,” he said. “I’m a defensive kind of guy and I don’t like that at all. We said let’s really lock down, let’s step in front of every shot and follow our man. We really did a good job of that tonight. Jarrod Hayslette, a freshman, really stepped up and played great.”

McClean and Jordan Mebane scored the goals against East Montgomery (3-1). Troy Hadlock and Norbury were credited with the assists. The Vikings will get a chance to even the score when they travel to East Montgomery next Tuesday for a 6:30 p.m. contest.