The Rams (11-5-2, 8-2 MVAC) put the final touches on a second-place conference finish with the victory, while the Eagles (6-10, 3-7 MVAC) lost their chance to help their own playoff aspirations. A Surry Central victory would have put them into a tie with North Wilkes for fourth place.
Starmount will take a break from game action until the 2A state tournament starts next week. Central, which may still get a wildcard berth for the post-season, is slated to play at Mount Airy tonight in its regular season finale.
Coach Blake Roth's upset-minded Eagles came roaring out of the gates Monday, snagging a 1-0 lead in the first 20 seconds on a goal by Eric Sonato.
But Starmount remained poised and notched two scores over the next 15 minutes. Shores netted the equalizer with a hard shot that bounced off the crossbar and then squirted away from Central's keeper. The Rams took a 2-1 lead when senior Javier Salinas converted a series of passes from Shores and Mauricio Lopez into a goal.
Surry Central had more shots on goal than Starmount in the first half (11-8), but the Eagles couldn't crack the Rams' defense after Sonato's early net.
"In the second half, both teams went at each other," Starmount coach Dale Draughn said. "Surry Central was playing with nothing to lose, and we wanted to win on Senior Night."
Surry Central tied things up 2-2 about halfway through the second half, getting a score from Bernardo Leandro.
The Eagles then tried stacking their defense around Starmount's Lopez, Shores and Salinas -- the team's top three goal-scorers. "The boys were patient and listened to the corrections we made at halftime," Draughn said. "They found a way to win the game."
Salinas assisted Shores' game-winning goal. As the clock ticked down on the win, Draughn found himself in a bittersweet position.
"This was a sad but happy time for me in the event that I will be losing nine seniors to graduation this year," the coach said. "Each one of them brings something different to the table and I am proud of how they have come together as a group, because at the first of the season we had a rough spot and we had to work things out between ourselves. Once we got that settled we turned our season around."
Playoff brackets likely will be released over the weekend at www.nchsaa.org.
Final MVAC Standings
Team Conf. Total
Wilkes Central 9-1 13-2-1
Starmount 8-2 11-5-1
Forbush 5-5 6-11-2
North Wilkes 4-6 11-6-1
Surry Central 3-7 6-10-0
Ashe County 1-9 2-14-0
Monday, Oct. 22 Games
Wilkes Central 5, North Wilkes 0
Starmount 3, Surry Central 2
Forbush 4, Ashe County 0
Wednesday, Oct 24 Games
Forbush at West Wilkes
END REGULAR SEASON
Monday, Oct. 29 Games
State 2A playoffs begin, TBA
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