Education: Season: Sport: County: ,

Roberson goal lifts Eastern Wayne past North Johnston

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Eastern Wayne soccer article cover: Roberson goal lifts Warriors past North Johnston, 1-0.

GOLDSBORO - Eastern Wayne had a chance to answer an earlier conference loss and slow a North Johnston team that had controlled the recent series.

EJ Roberson’s first-half goal was enough Thursday, Oct. 8, as the Warriors defeated the Panthers 1-0 in a conference soccer match in Goldsboro. Eastern Wayne improved to 4-3 in conference play and 8-4 overall with the win, while North Johnston fell to 3-3 in the conference and 5-10 overall.

Roberson scored at the 27:50 mark of the first half, giving Eastern Wayne a 1-0 lead. The goal was Roberson’s 18th of the season and held up as the difference.

The match was physical, with high emotions on both sides and several penalties for aggressive play. Each team received one yellow card.

Eastern Wayne’s defense protected the lead the rest of the way, holding North Johnston to five shots on goal. Junior Ricky Chavez Lujan and sophomore Alan Alvarez led the Warriors defensively with three steals apiece, and senior Jermaine Parks earned the win with the shutout.

The result also avenged Eastern Wayne’s 3-0 loss to North Johnston on Sept. 15. The Panthers entered the match having dominated the last 10 meetings between the teams with an 8-1-1 record.

Eastern Wayne, which beat Washington 2-0 and West Craven 10-1 recently, will travel to North Lenoir on Oct. 13 and Southwest Edgecombe on Oct. 14. North Johnston, which beat Southwest Edgecombe 7-3 and lost to North Lenoir 4-2 recently, will host Princeton on Oct. 12 and North Pitt on Oct. 13 before traveling to Washington on Oct. 15.