ELIZABETHTOWN – Senior Maya McDonald poured in 5 goals – almost a double ‘Hat Trick’ – to lead East Bladen to a 6-1 victory over West Bladen in the Southeastern Athletic Conference girls soccer opener for both teams Tuesday night.
In the 1st minute of play, McDonald banged in a close shot past the keeper after a feed from freshman Iveonna “NeNe” Ward.
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Photos by Kenneth Armstrong
Senior Hannah Hester answered for West Bladen in the 5th minute firing in a goal off of a pass from junior Makayla Wright. “West had a great sequence that caused our backs to get pulled out of position,” said East Bladen Coach Jay Raynor. “A ball was sent to the back post and was calmly finished.”
McDonald knocked in her 2nd goal in the 19th minute to put the Lady Eagles up 2-1 at halftime. “We held the edge on shots 12-2 in the first half and 28-8 for the game,” said Raynor.
In the 43rd minute, McDonald padded the lead to 3-1. “Maya made a run from midfield and converted a Nene pass that she scored on a hard low shot past the keeper,” said Raynor. Minutes later McDonald scored again to up the count to 4-1.
Sophomore Heidi Rebollar scored “on a set piece from just outside the area on the right side of the 18 yard box in the 66th minute.” Raynor continued, “Maya took another deep run from midfield and beat several players to score from close range past the keeper. That was her 5th goal and it came in the 68th minute.
“Maya was unbelievable,” said Raynor. “Had to move her around to find her some space to work into. I thought she did a great job of putting herself in position to get the ball as well as in position to get her teammates involved.”
“The score doesn’t indicate how close the game actually was,” stated Raynor. “West was impressive. For it to be their first game, it sure didn’t look like it. Honestly, it looked like it was our first game for the first half of the match.”
Raynor continued, “West applied pressure and challenged every ball. It’s a rivalry and a huge game! I think that may have gotten to us. Our youth and inexperience showed. West is extremely well coached and those girls worked extremely hard. Every single one of them pushed themselves and left it on the field.
Raynor praised the play of West Bladen sophomore goalie Briana Carranza Toledo. “Their keeper made every save she should’ve and came up in big moments. I was also impressed with their midfield and their ability to move the ball.”
“Leah McGill was huge for us this evening,” noted Raynor. “She came off the bench and was a difference maker. She hustled and worked just as hard as her opponents in front of her. Acee (Campbell) and Heidi had amazing games for us. Had to switch some things which caused some confusion but when we talked about it they settled down, were dominant and changed the game. They stopped West’s runs through midfield. They also helped us establish the attack from higher up the field.”
Raynor added, “Molly (Evans) really turned it on in the second half and made several key stops in the game. Jackie (Medina-Leal) and Nene were key in our attack. They made some really great decisions as well as plays through out the match. They were knocking on the door but couldn’t get one in.”
“Proud of the girls and their resilience,” concluded Raynor. “We picked ourselves up and handled adversity well. West wanted it and we had to meet that level of intensity. At times we did and at times we didn’t.”
The Lady Eagles, now 3-0, will travel to West Bladen for a return match Friday at 6 p.m. West Bladen is slated to visit East Columbus Thursday at 5 p.m.
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