COVINGTON, Ga. — When the playoffs started for the Eastside boys soccer group on Wednesday, they picked up proper the place they left off with a 10-0 rout over McDonough.
The Eagles entered the Class AAAA first spherical matchup at Sharp Stadium with an ideal 14-0 file on the season, and so they stayed unscathed in opposition to the nine-win Warhawks.
Going into Wednesday’s match, Eagles’ head coach Jabari Bennett anticipated a sure fashion of play out the gate from his group.
“Earlier than the sport began, I made it very clear, I needed us to complete our probabilities early,” Bennett mentioned. “That being mentioned, I didn’t count on us to complete them that early.”
Simply three minutes into the match, senior captain Thomas Hill put the Eagles forward. Hill obtained a go within the field and scored on a bodily objective in opposition to the keeper.
– picture by Garrett Pitts
Two minutes later, Hudson Harris bought in on the motion.
Off a go from Alexis Vieyra, Harris scored on an influence shot from the sting of the field for an additional Eagles’ objective.
After just some minutes, the pair of juniors repeated it.
Vieyra related with Harris for an additional objective from contained in the field as Eastside ramped as much as a 3-0 lead in simply six minutes of sport time.
From there, the McDonough protection managed to cease just a few assaults from the Eagles. Nonetheless, Eatside’s again line performed simply in addition to the Warhawks didn’t appear to realize a lot of any momentum on the offensive finish.
After racking up two assists early, Vieyra scored a objective of his personal.
Senior Wanderon Johnson crossed the ball inside to Vieyra, who despatched the ball into the again of the web on a brief objective to place Eastside forward 4-0.
On the 21-minute mark of the primary half, Harris accomplished his hat trick on one other help from Vieyra.
After a high quality match from Harris, Bennett has nothing however nice issues to say in regards to the junior, who he has coached for years.
“From tonight, actually he moved the ball rather well. He completed his probabilities that he wanted to complete and he performed the balls that wanted to be performed,” Bennett mentioned. “This was by far his finest sport all season. I’m simply pleased with him, I’ve had him since his eighth grade 12 months as a JV participant and to now have him as a junior. This 12 months has been phenomenal, the expansion has been great.”
McDonough managed to have its first pictures on track of the day late within the opening half on makes an attempt from Ndamake Kassim Diarra.
Eastside had a pair of high quality probabilities late within the first half with a penalty kick from Caleb Adams and an excellent alternative from Cavahn Cudjoe Chow, however each makes an attempt have been off the mark.
Nonetheless, Hill scored Eastside’s sixth objective of the sport with 4 minutes left within the half. Hill transformed on the shot from shut vary for his second of the match.
When the sport transitioned into the second half, not a lot modified between the 2 groups as Eastside scored simply 4 minutes into the body.
Evan Angeles discovered his method into the field earlier than depositing the ball into the again of the web to make it a 7-0 lead.
Following Harris’ fourth objective of the match to make it a 8-0 benefit, Vieyra arguably scored the longest shot of the competition.
Operating to his proper from effectively outdoors the field, Vieyra despatched a rocket to the highest of the web for the Eagles’ ninth objective.
Lower than a minute later, Eastside ended the sport by way of mercy rule.
Jonathan Gomez dribbled into the field and baited the keeper earlier than making a fast go to Jackson Dobbs, who made the shot into an open internet.
Dobbs’ objective despatched the Eagles’ bench right into a frenzy as a number of gamers raced down the pitch to swarm Dobbs after the successful objective.
Harris ended the match with 4 targets whereas Hill and Vierya every netted a brace.
After the group’s seventh shutout victory of the season, Bennett made an intentional effort to speak about his again line and his keeper, Tucker Consuegra.
“I instructed them to play the best way they’ve been enjoying all 12 months. We knew coming in they have been going to be bodily and be quick and also you noticed that within the sport too. They have been transferring the ball excessive and that was an issue for us. I cannot deny that,” Bennett mentioned. “However, they settled in and so they dealt with it rather well. Fortunately for us, we have now a category goalkeeper as effectively to assist with our defenders. I really feel like Tucker has gone actually underappreciated this 12 months. I bought to say this, he is perhaps one of many best goalkeepers we have now ever had come via this program.”
The win moved the Eagles to 15-0 on the season and marked the second time this season they’ve received a match 10-0.
Subsequent up for the Eagles is a match with St. Pius X Catholic(15-4, 7-2) within the Candy 16 at Sharp Stadium. St. Pius defeated Benedictine(11-7, 8-2) within the opening spherical.
