WILMINTON – East Bladen battled host Wilmington Laney to a scoreless tie then were outscored 2-0 by Dixon Tuesday night in a pair of season-opening soccer scrimmages.
“Laney and Dixon are extremely good!” said Eagle Coach Jay Raynor. “We were in way over our heads but my young guys showed up defensively. We were literally under siege. Couldn’t do much with the ball when we got it but we worked our tails off keeping them out of the net.
“Chase Starkloff did an amazing job in the back,” stated Raynor. “Lee Barnes did a heck of a job in the net. He had 20 saves in the two games. Super impressed with how he played in goal. Threw him in there and he turned away shot after shot.”
The Eagles only returned 2 starters from last year’s team and started two freshmen and seven others who have little experience. “Extremely proud of the guys and the effort they showed,” noted Raynor. “We will get back at it tomorrow and do our best to get better.”
Raynor added, “Our guys had a choice tonight to give up or keep battling, they chose to keep battling. All our kids had some good time on the field and showed me something. Now just have to figure out where they will be the most successful and get them in those spots. Nathan Howell, Zac Metz and Jacob Nixon got better as the games went on.”
East Bladen will host their own Bladen Cup scrimmages Friday night and will match up against Harrells Christian Academy, Pender and Whiteville.
About Author
