CHOCOWINITY — Fabian Ramirez’s hat trick powered Southside to a 4-0 win over Bear Grass Charter School on Monday. The clean-sheet victory avenged the Seahawks’ 3-2 loss at Bear Grass on Oct. 7.

Southside (12-6, 3-4 1-A Coastal Plains Conference) struck first in the 30th minute. Devin Guzman dribbled down the right wing and into the box before crossing the ball to Ramirez in front of the net, who finished to give the Seahawks a 1-0 lead.

With just two minutes left in the half, Ramirez fed Luke Matthews, who beat the Bears’ goalkeeper on the bottom-right corner.

The home side didn’t sit back on its 2-0 advantage. Ramirez found twine twice more in the first few minutes of the second half to give Southside a dominant advantage. Guzman fed him for a second time. Ramirez then completed the hat trick with a chip shot from outside the penalty area that flew right overtop the keeper.

“He’s a smart player and a big boy, so you’re not going to take the ball off of him too easily,” said head coach John Lohman. “He’s got a sweet touch on the ball. He knows how to control his shots and hit it hard when he needs to. He can just tap it to the corner.”

The Seahawks knew going into the match that they would be able to control possession in the midfield. They were patient in the way they moved the ball around the midfield, looking for an opening to attack.

Other than that, they observed the way Bear Grass played before committing to an attacking strategy. Southside was able to create chances attacking the flanks, but was also able to get open looks near the top of the box.

“I think we saw some of that,” Lohman said. “We would possess the ball and string together a good five or six passes before we’d get a shot on goal. And that’s what we did.

“If they gave us the outside, we would take the outside. If they tried to cut that off, then we’re fast enough to cut it back in the middle. Overall, I think we were faster at forward than they were at fullback. “

It did take about 20 minutes for the Seahawks’ offense to click. After they had a grasp of Bear Grass’ defense, they turned up the aggression. It paid dividends.

“We’re a kind of team, which I don’t necessarily like, we settle in a little bit,” Lohman said. “We settle in a little bit and figure out what the other team is all about. Once we think we know what the other team is doing, we start making plays. And Bear Grass is a very good team. They were all over the field in the first 20 minutes. I think we wore them down a little bit.”

Southside kept looking to add to its advantage. In the 56th minute, Ramirez fought hard to win possession. He took the ball from the right side of the box to the left and put it on goal, but the Bears made the save.

Meanwhile, Bear Grass attempted to get on the scoreboard by utilizing its counter attack. The Bears struggled with possession, so they looked to quickly move up field when they had the ball.

Seahawks’ keeper Chris Reiner was a stalwart in net. He made saves whenever he was tested, including stopping a first-half penalty kick that would have tied the game at 1-1.

“If he doesn’t make a couple of saves, this game is a lot closer and a lot more tense,” Lohman said. “It’s a relaxing feeling when you get a 2-0, 3-0 or 4-0 lead.”

Ethan Harris also played a significant part in the shutout.

“Ethan has been our man,” Lohman said. “We put him on their best guy. He just stays beside him, harasses him and messes up the flow of the best player.”

Southside will wrap up its season Wednesday at rival Northside. The Seahawks are looking to complete the sweep after a 9-0 fixture at home against Panthers. The game is scheduled to kick off at 6 p.m., but could be moved due to weather.