Ardrey Kell head boys’ soccer coach Adam Henry had the next two weeks of the season circled from the day he constructed the Knights’ 2024 roster.

Needing to challenge a veteran group with state championship aspirations, Henry set up a gauntlet with consecutive games against Lake Norman, Cuthbertson, Hough, T.C. Roberson, and Weddington. A year ago, those five opponents went a combined 79-20-13 overall.

On Tuesday night, the journey began in a big way. Brendan Fragale and Maksym Lenda found the back of the net to guide the No. 3 ranked Knights to a 2-1 victory on the road at No. 5 Lake Norman.

Fragale got the offense going in the 14th minute. With a high-arching ball on its way towards the top of the box, the Fragale stayed onsides and quickly booted a shot from 18-yards out. The ball had eyes and ricocheted off of the crossbar and down into the goal for a highlight reel 1-0 lead.

That score held through the half, and the opening six minutes of the second. Lenda had a loose ball land at feet and he casually ripped it into the back of the net for all of the offense that Ardrey Kell would need.

The momentum built up prior to the goal came from a 45th minute stop by Cole Freeman on the other end. The HighSchoolOT All-State selection from a year ago dove to his left to stonewall one of Lake Norman’s few scoring opportunties. As the Wildcats made their final push to break up his clean sheet, Freeman made a leaping stop of a free kick with about 10 minutes left on the clock.

Lake Norman earned a penalty kick in the 75th and Gareth Siemers crushed a shot to finally get the Wildcats on the board.

Ardrey Kell returns home on Thursday with a 4-0-2 record. Lake Norman falls to 6-2, but its two losses are to the No. 3 ranked Knights and top-ranked West Forsyth.

Source: highschoolot.com