After graduating nine seniors from last year’s playoff team, Carrboro struggled some in the early season to find its game. The 2A Jaguars picked up their first win last week, 2-0, at Chapel Hill, the 3A classification’s No. 10 team. Nico Kranchenfels scored in the 24th minute off an assist by Thar Thwai, and Marc Rovner scored an insurance goal in the 45th minute to seal the victory.

“We’ve had a lot of learning experiences,” said Carrboro coach Mark Kadlecik. “We still have a ways to go, but everything has been a building process. Tonight, I think we were close to putting a full 80 minutes together – not entirely, but close.”

The most important lesson the Jaguars learned at Chapel Hill High School was how to protect a lead. In their first game of the year, the Jaguars led a talented Jordan-Matthews team 1-0, but ended up tying 1-1. Worse, in Kadlecik’s thinking, Carrboro led 4A No. 6 East Chapel Hill by a 2-0 score on Aug. 22, only to lose 3-2.

“We laid off the gas pedal,” Kadlecik said. “East taught us a harsh lesson after being up two-nil there.”

Playing Monday evening at Chapel Hill, the Tigers controlled much of the game’s flow, often dropping the ball back to the defenders or crossing it over the field with long passes. Kadlecik, wanting his Wildcats to close the gaps with their CHHS counterparts, urged his players “up … up … up” repeatedly in the first half.

Carrboro was called offside seven times, six in the first half, but Kadlecik was pleased to see that by the second half the Jaguars were maintaining contact with the Tigers.

“The midfield has to have a higher work rate when you have a lead, because they’re going to come at you with numbers forward,” he said, “But our guys responded tonight. I think they just had the right mentality to get the result, which is very good.”

It wasn’t as intense as the playoff game years back that his Tigers lost 1-0 after out-shooting an opponent 20-1, but Monday night’s loss still surprised Chapel Hill coach Ron Benson a bit.

Chapel Hill (4-3-0) out-shot Carrboro 18-5, but Carrboro (1-2-2) first-year goalkeeper Murat Calikoglu made nine saves.

“When we were fatigued, we still kept at it and everyone worked their hardest and made sure that every ball was cleared,” Calikoglu said.

A hard shot by Chapel Hill’s Chandler Weedon got past Calikoglu in the 76th minute, but Mike McPeak made a clearing back save to turn away the Tigers.

“Our center backs – Mikey McPeak and Vic Sullivan – were great,” Calikoglu said. “Mikey is sort of my security blanket. I know I can always rely on him. He’s a rock in the back.”

CHHS also missed two open shots that just skimmed over the crossbar. “That’s the beauty of soccer,” Benson said. “Do the right thing at the right time and you should win. We did a lot of good things but not at the right time.”

Carrboro played Burlington Williams at home on Thursday, the first game in the Jaguars’ Stadium since its recent renovations. Kadlecik formally taught and coached soccer at Burlington Williams, turning it into a 3A power before leaving for the Chapel Hill-Carrboro school district.

Chapel Hill hosted a travel club from Philadelphia on Thursday. The Tigers play at East Chapel Hill on Sept. 4.