An early offensive outburst saw the Blues lead 3-0 at halftime, and they did just enough to hold on, defeating Appalachian FC 4-2 to advance to the Eastern Conference Final, where they will face Vermont Green.
Mitch Picksley nearly got things started in the 6th minute, when he diced through the Appalachian defense to get into the box. Picksley unleashed a shot that was blocked and ricocheted up and over Charlie Walker, but an App defender cleared it off the line.
Picksley would not be denied five minutes later when a corner kick was cleared, but only as far as him, where he was perched 25 yards out from the goal. Picksley perfectly half-volleyed it into the upper left corner as the Blues got off to a 1-0 lead.
Asheville doubled their lead in the 32nd minute, courtesy of Joaquin Brizuela. The Blues’ press forced a turnover from the App backline that fell to Brizuela, who perfectly curled his finish around Walker’s outstretched hands and into the back of the net for a 2-0 lead.
Asheville added a third nine minutes later. Momo Diop slipped Simon Carlson behind the App defense and inside the box on the left side before Carlson blasted a low-driven finish past Walker and into the side netting for a 3-0 lead that the Blues would carry into the break.
The Blues nearly struck first after the restart when Brizuela forced a turnover on the left flank and tried passing it inside the box to Carlson, but Walker was quick off his line to collect the ball. Shortly after, the tide flipped, and App began to gain momentum.
First, Mitchell Honcoop’s low-driven shot through traffic found the far bottom corner in the 54th minute to make things 3-1. Then, Bennett Gerak pounced on a rebound in the box and blasted it home six minutes later to cut the deficit to 3-2.
The Blues answered back in the 69th minute. Ashton Bilow sent a ball into the box to the freshly subbed-on Dominik Renz. Renz squared it to Picksley, who blasted it past Walker to hand Asheville a 4-2 cushion.
App started pushing again and peppered Tommy Viscuso with three threatening shots on goal in a six-minute span, but Viscuso stood tall to keep the Blues ahead. The Boone-based side kept up the pressure, but the Asheville defense was too much as the Blues took home a 4-2 victory to move on to the Eastern Conference Final.
Mitch Picksley was named the Wicked Pie Player of the Match for his efforts on the night, which included a brace.
The Blues will now head to Laredo, Texas, for one of the two USL League Two playoff pods next weekend. They will face Vermont Green FC on Friday in the Eastern Conference Final. The winner of that match will play the winner of the Southern Conference Final (Fort Lauderdale United vs Laredo Heat) on Sunday.
