The Vikings bested their in town rivals to solidify their spot as Wilmington's best once again.
Uncertainty loomed as Hoggard and New Hanover met in boys soccer for the first time in 2025 on Sept. 23.
The long-anticipated matchup pitted the three-time defending conference champion Vikings against a Wildcats squad rising to the occasion this fall.
Even as New Hanover (8-2, 1-1 CCC) battled inside Scott Braswell Stadium, the Vikings (9-1-1, 2-0 CCC) proved once again why they are Wilmington's top team, outlasting the Wildcats in a physical, gritty 1-0 win.
"I think we were just composed and ready," Hoggard coach Dwight Findlay said. "That's what these high school boys come out here to do: To compete and work hard."
Hoggard junior Sawyer Ingham scored the game's lone goal off a sharp assist from sophomore Harry Dyer. The second-half strike was all the Vikings needed in what proved to be their toughest test of the season.
"We stay composed even if there were yellows and this and that," Ingham said. "Both teams were fighting hard because this is a rivalry, but we stayed composed."
The victory extended Hoggard's recent dominance over New Hanover, marking their sixth straight win in the series and evening the all-time record at 15-15 since 2012. The Wildcats last defeated Hoggard in 2021, the same season they claimed a state title.
But Hoggard didn't enter Tuesday's showdown expecting to falter. The expectation was, and always has been, the same.
"This is what we were expecting from this game," Findlay said. "The mindset of the players was that this was going to be a physical game."
The Vikings will be tested again in just two days when they travel to Laney to face the Buccaneers (11-1-1, 1-0-1 CCC), a team eager to make a statement this fall. New Hanover will get another chance to flip the script when it hosts Hoggard on Oct. 16 at Legion Stadium.
"It lets us know that we're in it to win this conference," Ingham said. "We've got good players and we're known to fight and we're always gonna try our best to win, so I'm not surprised (we won) at all."
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Hoggard soccer downs New Hanover, keeps win streak alive
Category: General Sports
