WENDELL Four red cards for Corinth Holders and two goals from senior captain Michael McPeak came up trumps for Carrboro in its 2-1 win Saturday in the NCHSAA 2A soccer quarterfinals. Carrboro (17-6-3) will move on to the state semifinals to play at Jordan-Mathews (19-4-1), which downed Swansboro 1-0 Saturday.

Corinth Holders (19-4-0) seemed destined to advance in the ninth minute Saturday, when the Pirates were given a free kick on the right side of the field. The ball fell to Nick Burton, who controlled it and passed to Melecio Rubio-Villagran on the right. He cut back in toward the goal and slotted the ball into the bottom-left corner.

A couple of reckless fouls from the Pirates gave the Jaguars a number of set play opportunities near the goal. On a free kick from right outside the box on the left side, the ball found junior Luke Hickey on a bounce at the top of the box. His beautiful half-volley was caught by the leaping keeper, who knocked the ball down near the crossbar and fell on it.

Up 1-0, the Pirates didn’t shy away from contact in the second half. This allowed them to win loose balls when Carrboro players would slow up to avoid collision. But their aggressiveness would be their undoing.

“(The referee) said to both teams at the beginning of the game that if the game gets out of hand and we start talking back, then cards would be dealt,” McPeak said. “Both teams were talking back, but at halftime I told my boys we had to stop complaining to the refs, and we did.”

The Pirates’ Alex Dimmock received his second yellow card in the 59th minute for his reaction to being whistled at for a foul on the left side of the Corinth Holders box. The kick, taken by Carrboro’s Thar Twai, curled to the left post where the towering McPeak was waiting to drive it into the bottom corner with his head.

Ten minutes later, the same pair – Twai and McPeak – connected again. Twai dribbled down the left side and hit McPeak at the top of the box. McPeak drove the ball on the ground into the bottom right corner of the goal to give the Jaguars a 2-1 lead.

Another three red cards were eventually doled out to Corinth Holders players. The Pirates that remained on the field could do little but sit back and defend.

“Coach Walston was telling me it was the first time a Johnston county team had made it to the fourth round, so it’s a big deal for these people,” said Carrboro coach Mark Kadlecik, who moonlights as an NCAA and MLS official. “It’s just unfortunate their emotions got the best of them.”

Green Hope 1, East 0

CARY After 100 minutes of play Saturday at Green Hope, the game’s only tally came from their own goal, deflected in by an East Chapel Hill player after Green Hope’s Josh Kennedy sent in a cross from the left side. After the initial save by the goalkeeper, it hit off another Wildcats player and rolled back towards the goal.

Another Wildcats player came in to clear the ball off the line, but the linesman ruled that the ball had already crossed the goal mouth.

East Chapel Hill coach Austin Collins disagreed with the call based on his players’ protests.

“We’re going to still go with that (it) didn’t go over the line, as far as we’re concerned,” Collins said. “(But) from what we were told is that (we) had plenty of room to clear it out, and the ref said he was sure it crossed the line.”

The Wildcats had the better scoring chances in the game’s first 30 minutes, but Green Hope (16-6-2) started to shake off its rust towards halftime. In the second half, East Chapel Hill’s back line stepped up to thwart several near chances for the Falcons. Right back Santiago Betancur dispossessed many attacks aimed at him.

“He played absolutely amazing tonight,” Collins said. “Every time, he was right there with (Kennedy) ... he was our player of the match for sure.”

The Wildcats alternated goalkeepers Jake Hilkey, who played the first half and first 10-minute overtime, and Matthew Cocca, who played the second half and second overtime.

East Chapel Hill ended its best season as a 4A program at 17-2-2.

Staff writer J. Mike Blake