RED SPRINGS – Seven different players scored goals Tuesday night as East Bladen exploded for 6 goals in the 2nd half and rolled to a 9-0 Southeastern Athletic Conference girls’ soccer victory over Red Springs.
“I am proud to have 7 different goal scorers tonight and 4 girls generating assists,” said Lady Eagle Coach Jay Raynor. “Gabby (Rebollar) did a great job of finding her teammates tonight. Gabby had 3 assists and was great for us in the midfield.”
East Bladen took charge quickly as senior Acee Campbell scored 52 seconds into the game. “Acee hit a shot from just inside the box to beat the keeper to her left,” described Raynor.
Less than 2 minutes later (37:33 mark) junior Heidi Rebollar converted a short corner kick from her freshman sister Gabby to push the lead to 2-0.
“We started really quickly,” noted Raynor. “Had some great ball movement and runs on goal. Things were crowded but we were making things happen. I feel after the 2nd goal went in, we let up some. We didn’t make the best decisions on the ball and I thought we were doing a lot of standing.”
The Lady Eagles did outshoot Red Springs 15-0 in the opening half and 29-0 for the game.
“Red Springs is a tight field and with their numbers in the midfield, it made it difficult to find space,” stated Raynor. “We did that at times especially in the first 10 minutes. We didn’t support runs we were making. We did a lot of standing and hiding behind defenders. Space in the midfield was cluttered and we seemed to watch rather than moving to find space. That caused us to take too many touches, dribble into defenders, and send passes right back into them.”
Senior Cydney Campbell broke the scoring drought for the Lady Eagles banging in a corner kick from Heidi Rebollar just 4:21 before halftime.
“We made a tactical adjustment (at halftime) which helped create more space to work in midfield,” shared Raynor. “The girls also came out fired up and applied what we discussed -more movement on and off the ball as well as better communication.”
Sophomore Jackie Medina-Leal opened the 2nd half scoring turning a pass from Heidi Rebollar into a goal in the 42nd minute that grew the lead to 4-0.
“Nene (Ward) scored a gorgeous goal from Cydney,” said Raynor. “Nene exploded to the goal and made a move around their defender and finished calmly in the back of the net in the 48th minute.”
Junior Eliana Padilla took a pass from Ward and scored 42 seconds after Ward’s goal to boost the lead to 6-0. “Those two young ladies were flying around making plays,” noted Raynor. “To get those two goals that closely together put the game away.”
Raynor continued, “Molly (Evans) played up for us tonight as well as on the wing. She was unlucky in the first half but found the game in the second half. Molly scored her first goal in the 69th minute from a feed from Gabby. Molly would score her second goal of the game and the ninth of the game with 5:49 to play.”
Heidi Rebollar would score her 2nd goal of the game in the 72nd minute.
“The girls had several chances that just missed following the initial two goals,” said Raynor. “I thought our first ten to twelve minutes were spot on. We were flying around and getting everyone involved. Outside of that I felt our play feel off. Not our effort but rather the quality of play.”
Raynor added, “That changed in the second half. The play was much more ideal and how we want to play. Our girls played hard and did a great job of adjusting. One thing this group does well is follow instructions/adjustments on the tactical side of the game.”
“Proud of the girls for coming out strong in both halves as well as scoring goals on set pieces,” summarized Raynor. “That’s something we have been able to get better at throughout the year. Two goals from corner kicks and one on a free kick tonight. That’s special and what great teams do.”
East Bladen improved to 5-2 in conference play and 10-3-1 overall and will host Red Springs Thursday.
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