Hawks Soar to 4-1 Victory Over the Cougars
The North Lenoir varsity soccer team took on Southwest Edgecombe in a non-conference matchup on Thursday evening. The Hawks played a very even game as they were able to beat the visiting Cougars 4-1. The win moves the Hawks to 6-2 on the season.
The Hawks were coming off a tough conference win the night before against Southwest Onslow, 1-0. The team looked tired and sluggish in the first half. Head Coach Chris Evans could sense that the second game in as many days was showing on the pitch. "I could tell they were tired, but I'm proud of them. We didn't play very well in the first half. We made some adjustments at halftime, they came out and executed, and we ended up with the win," Evans said.
Even with tired legs and sluggish playing, the Hawks led the Cougars 2-1 at halftime. #20 Israel Amanza tallied one of his two goals in the first half, while #19 Maddox Smith also converted on a penalty kick for the Hawks. The only goal conceded by the Hawks came off a penalty kick by the Cougars.
The adjustments that Coach Evans and his team made were evident from the drop of the ball in the second half. The Hawks looked like they got a second wind and continually put pressure on the Cougars. In the second half, after Amanza's second goal, #10 Christopher Romero extended the lead to three and put the game out of reach. Romero diced the Cougar defense and left a rocket off his boot that found the top corner of the net from 20 yards out. The Southwest goalie didn't have a chance.
Early in the second half, goalie Kevin Rodriguez would exit the game after spending some time down on the pitch with an apparent ankle injury. At the time, the Hawks had a 3-1 lead, and Coach Evans didn't hesitate to put in junior Jameson Pare. Pare saw a push from the Cougars looking to score on the new goalie but stood tall in the net, blocking two shots on goal and giving his team the boost they needed with their starting keeper going out. Pare was the goalie last year for the junior varsity team. "I trust him back there; our guys trust him back there. Any time he (Rodriguez) goes down, we know who we're going to—Jameson Pare," exclaimed Evans.
Rodriguez would return later in the second half to finish off his strong performance. Rodriguez ended the night with three saves. Also offensively, two Hawks added an assist each: #4 Jesus Tyndall and #19 Maddox Smith, to add to his goal.
The Hawks will look to continue their conference schedule on Monday night as they travel to play Wallace-Rose Hill. Coach Evans knows what his team's conference schedule will have in store for them. "This conference is a juggernaut; it's probably one of the top conferences in the East. We are young and getting better every day. That's all I can ask for."
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