CLINTON – East Bladen battled Clinton to a 1-1 tie in non-conference jayvee men’s soccer action.
The teams played to a scoreless tie in the first half. “Clinton has a great soccer program and their success may have been a little intimidating for our guys in the first half,” said Eagle Coach Jay Raynor. “Once we got to half and they could see that they could play with them it became a different game for us.”
Clinton went up 1-0 on a score from a misplayed ball in the back, but East Bladen’s Jay McKoy tied the game with a goal in the 73rd minute.
Both teams had some good looks within the last few minutes but none found the net.
“I was extremely proud of the guys,” continued Coach Raynor. “To go there with our guys and get a result is awesome! That’s a tough team to play and a tough place to play. They usually beat teams pretty bad and go and get a tie is big for our program.”
“Jacob Priest was extraordinary in the net tonight,” added Raynor. “Everyone played well but he kept us in the game. He has improved tremendously and his confidence and decision making set him apart from the other keepers we play. I credit a lot of that to Spencer (Scott). He and Spencer work together everyday and talk about the game non-stop.”
Raynor went on to praise the play of Jay McGill, Will Hester, and Jay McKoy. “They played solid tonight. When the game was on the line at the end they made plays. Our midfield play of Jackson Bostic, Ebrahim Algozy, and Jose Arteaga made some big tackles and jumped some passes to start our attack.”
“The backline did a great job tonight,” said Raynor. “They listened to Jacob, made some big plays and are getting better. Drew Scholar made several tackles after our midfield and outside backs got beat. His athleticism and decision-making stopped several chances that could have resulted in goals.”
“Reid Potter really manned up tonight,” noted Coach Raynor. “He was physical and didn’t back down from any challenges. Several times he was able to make huge plays to cover for a teammate’s miscue. Reid was a big factor tonight and I was proud to see him step up like that.”
The Eagle jayvees are now 2-0-1 on the season.
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