Early goal proves the decider as Bearcats nip Wolverines

Polk County proved again Tuesday night it can match up with the best that the Western Highlands Conference has to offer.

Unfortunately, gaining that knowledge provided the best result of the evening.

Hendersonville made an early goal stand, shutting down the Wolverines for a 1-0 victory in a WHC matchup in G.M. Tennant Stadium.

Eden Hawkins’ goal just over four minutes into the match held the rest of the way as the Bearcats (11-1, 7-0) remained perfect in conference play.

Yet in dropping to 9-4 overall, 5-2 in WHC action, Polk County showed it could still be a factor in the final weeks of the conference race, according to head coach Lennox Charles.

“The biggest thing for me is that we came out of this knowing that if we play our best game, we can beat the two teams ahead of us, Owen and Hendersonville,” Charles said. Polk County lost to Owen on penalty kicks earlier this season.

“If we play our best, we can beat them.”

Polk County finished with just five shots on goal as Hendersonville’s back line constantly blunted Wolverine forays into the Bearcats’ end of the field.

“We have to be able to do a better job offensively creating opportunities,” Charles said. “They had better possessions, but we didn’t give up a lot of open chances. It wasn’t like we were getting completely overrun.

“It was a good solid effort and everybody played hard.”

Polk County returns to W.J. Miller Field and Tennant Stadium on Wednesday, hosting Avery County at 6 p.m. for another conference clash.