NORTHSIDE VS. WEST CRAVEN

PINETOWN — Fresh off of winning its first game of the season, the Northside soccer team looked to string together a couple of wins when it hosted the winless West Craven Eagles on Thursday. Unfortunately for the Panthers, West Craven went on a second-half scoring spree to pull away and hand Northside an 8-2 loss.

Northside (1-3) trailed West Craven (1-3) by a solitary goal heading into the second half, but the Eagles blew the game wide open with a barrage of goals in the final 40 minutes of the game. Ivan Lopez Gomez led the way for West Craven, scoring three goals and adding an assist.

Bruno Maldonado was the shining light for Northside, scoring both goals for the Panthers. His first came 15 minutes into the second half, scoring a penalty after getting tripped in the West Craven box. Maldonado added another with 10 minutes remaining in the game, receiving a pass at the edge of the box, dribbling past a West Craven defender and then finishing past the onrushing Eagle goalkeeper.

Northside will return to action Sept. 19, when it hosts KIPP Pride at 6 p.m.

 

WASHINGTON AT NORTH PITT

BETHEL — In opposite fashion of Tuesday’s victory over West Carteret where the Pam Pack needed a late goal to salvage a win, the Washington soccer team coasted to a 5-1 win over North Pitt in Bethel on Wednesday after building a four-goal first-half lead.

Washington (4-3) benefitted from improved play in the midfield against North Pitt (0-6-2), leaving Pam Pack head coach Jim Kozuch pleased with his team’s performance.

“(We were) much more poised, moved the ball around a lot better (compared to Tuesday’s game). Got much better play from our midfielders, ” Kozuch said.

The return of Oscar Espinoza, who missed several games through injury, helped contribute to the upturn in the midfield’s performance. The senior midfielder scored two goals against the Panthers after notching an assist on Tuesday in what was his first significant playing time since going down with an injury in the season opener.

Espinoza opened the game’s scoring and also scored the fourth goal to close out the first half, while Dawson Cox and Elvin Elizalde rounded out the scoring in the opening half. Much to Kozuch’s chagrin, North Pitt scored off a corner in the first minute of the second half, but Washington’s Sultan Alsudani grabbed a goal for himself to restore the Pam Pack’s four-goal lead.

Washington will try to put together its first three-game winning streak of the season when it hosts Greene Central (4-3) Monday at 6 p.m.

 

SOUTHSIDE VS. FARMVILLE CENTRAL

CHOCOWINITY — Wednesday was a night of revenge for the Southside soccer team, as it defeated Farmville Central, the only team to have beaten the Seahawks so far this season, by the score of 3-1 at home.

Southside (7-1) struggled with Farmville Central’s (1-7) speed in the first matchup, giving up three goals to the Jaguars in the final ten minute to lose 4-3, but that wasn’t the case on Wednesday. The Seahawks took control of the game from the opening whistle, with Jairo Juarez scoring a first-half hat trick. Southside comfortably dealt with Farmville Central in the second half, only letting in a goal after a 30-minute delay due to an injury.

Juarez’s first goal came thanks to some slick interplay between the midfielder and Luke Matthews. Juarez played a give-and-go with Matthews, receiving the ball back from the forward before calmly finishing.

Juarez’s second goal came courtesy of a Johnathan Hernandez throw-in. With his back to a Jaguar defender, Juarez flicked the throw-in to himself as he spun around the defender and buried a left-footed shot. Juarez’s third score was due to being at the right spot at the right time, burying the ball in the back of the net after a loose ball bounced to him in the box.

The Seahawks next play SouthWest Edgecombe (3-2) on Monday at home, with kickoff scheduled for 6 p.m.