Fort Mill shuts out Gaffney to clinch playoff berth

Despite an up and down season, the Fort Mill Yellow Jackets boys’ soccer team clinched a playoff spot with a 4-0 shutout win over the Gaffney Indians.

Fort Mill had four different players score in the win as the team finished the regular season with an 11-9-1 record. Fort Mill begins the playoffs on the road May 3 with a first round match at Hillcrest.

“I feel as good as we can,” said head coach Sean Fielden.

“I don’t like going on the road in the playoffs, but I think we are finally starting to click again. I think our region is a strong region and prepares all of the teams for the playoffs.”

Fort Mill opened the Gaffney match taking eight shots on goal (unofficially) in the first half. No one could find the net until about the 17 minute mark, when senior Ty Kornhauser emerged from a scrum near the goal and scored to give Fort Mill a lead it never relinquished.

The Jackets controlled the ball the majority of the first half, but struggled to get the ball past Gaffney’s back line. Defensively, Fort Mill was even stronger and held Gaffney to just two first half shots on goal.

In the second half, the Yellow Jackets didn’t take many shots, but were more effective in their shot selection. Outhustling Gaffney, Fort Mill was able to get through the back line of the Indians’ defense to create more clear looks. Fort Mill junior Aaron Koch scored the Yellow Jackets’ second goal on a penalty kick to give them a confident 2-0 lead.

Gaffney played better in the second half, but still struggled to penetrate the Fort Mill defense. Fort Mill was able to hold them to just three shots on goal in the second half with senior keeper Chandler Meador having no trouble stopping the Indians.

With about 15 minutes left in the game, Fort Mill again found a hole in the Gaffney defense with senior captain Keegan Downie scoring. Senior Chad Cope finished off the scoring with just under three minutes left in the game for his first goal of the season.

This story was originally published April 29, 2016 at 4:54 PM with the headline "Fort Mill shuts out Gaffney to clinch playoff berth."