Experience won out over youth in Tuesday’s season-opening boys soccer match between SouthWest Edgecombe and Rocky Mount in Pinetops.
The Cougars, who have 14 returning players, scored four goals in the first half and added five more in the second half to defeat the Gryphons 9-1 in a nonconference event at home.
Southwest (1-0) scored the first two goals inside the 30-minute mark of the first half as sophomore Victor Carrillo and junior Logan Webb found the back of the net. The Cougars added two more goals in the remaining 25 minutes while Rocky Mount (0-1) added one from junior forward Amat Jobe.
“We are off to a great start this season with this first match,” said SWE head coach Marco Moreno Jr. “I can tell that our players are committed to training hard to play great in our future matches. Our team has 14 returning players and five new players. We are looking forward to a great season, but overall I want our team to have fun playing soccer.”
Webb finished with four goals for the Cougars, while Carrillo and junior Chase Taylor collected two goals each and sophomore Ta’vion Dickens provided one goal.
Webb recorded his hat trick-plus one on seven shots, while Carrillo was two-for-five and Dickens one-for-four. The Cougars generated 25 shots to just five for Rocky Mount (two each from Jobe and Jonathan Howell and one from Alanzo Fenton).
SouthWest had assists from Fernando Ramirez (two) and one each from Justin Salazar, Josue Ponce and Dickens.
The Cougars played two goalies against the Gryphons. Sophomore Yahir Gil-Bustamonte made four saves and allowed one goal in the first half, while freshman Johan Orozco grabbed six saves in the second half.
Sophomore Nathaniel Combs (eight saves) and junior Austin Johnston (six saves) spent time in goal for Rocky Mount.
Though Rocky Mount is rebuilding after losing several players off last year’s squad, head coach Juan Hormazabal was disappointed with the result but hopeful for the future.
“It was an awful game for us,” he said. “I am disappointed because we could not put into practice in the game what we had tried in practice. I am proud of the team because we are very young with about 65 percent new players and freshmen. I am sure we will improve and be ready for the next challenge. For that, we will correct the mistakes we committed today.”
SouthWest plays at Tarboro on Thursday, while Rocky Mount entertains Wilson Hunt in a pair of nonconference matches.
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