ELIZABETHTOWN – Sophmore Greyson Heustess scored 2 goals as East Bladen built a 4-0 lead and defeated East Columbus 4-1 Tuesday in their non-conference soccer opener.
“It was hot!” said Eagle Coach Jay Raynor. “It wasn’t pretty but we got a result. We went up 4-0 with 10 minutes to play then made some subs in the back and gave up a silly goal.”
Junior Brooks McGill set up Heustess for the first East Bladen goal. “Brooks dribbled at the backline, sucked in the center back and sent a perfectly weighted pass onto Greyson’s foot for an easy tap-in. It was good soccer,” noted Raynor.
Heustess delivered the assist to junior Caleb Hatchell who was cutting behind the backline for the second Eagle goal. “Caleb made a good run and tucked a low hard shot inside the right corner,” said Coach Raynor. “It was a great finish and he showed good composure to get the goal.”
The Eagles led 2-0 at the half. “Our backline didn’t have to make many plays in the first half, and the same was true for the second,” noted Raynor. Goalie Spencer Scott was credited with 4 saves in the game.
Early in the second half, senior Grey Caballero played a ball out of midfield to sophmore Pierce Melvin who sent a pass to Brooks McGill. McGill beat a defender and fired a shot into the right corner for a 3-0 lead.
Heustess scored his second goal off of an assist from freshman Gabe Barber to stretch the margin to 4-0 before the Gators scored in the final 10 minutes.
“Spencer made a heck of a diving save that came out from under him when he hit the ground and went off a defender and into the net,” said Raynor. “That goal is on me. Spencer deserved a shutout. I put a few guys back there that haven’t worked much together.”
I thought we played ok but we have another level,” stated Coach Raynor. “The guys all worked hard tonight. I really think the heat was a factor but I also feel that we don’t put out our best product unless we feel like we have to.”
“The ball moved well at times but at others you would’ve thought we were playing for East Columbus because every pass would go right to them,” continued Raynor. “I thought our young guys such as Jake Evans and Gabe Barber played well tonight. They both have played a ton on minutes and seem to be fitting in well.”
Raynor also praised the defense, “Our backline is looking very solid. Ezequiel (Arteaga), Keshaun (Davis), Dan (Tatum), and Jacob Barber did a great job back there. Spencer didn’t get tested much because they turned away opportunities before he was forced to make a play.”
“Pierce Melvin defensively really locked down the midfield which freed Grey up and allowed him to make some plays for us tonight,” said Coach Raynor. “He’s one of our seniors and has great vision and understanding of the game.”
Raynor was also pleased with his team’s balance as 3 different players scored goals and 4 different players had assists. “We did look very good on our scoring chances, but we need to develop some chemistry in the frontline as well as in the midfield.”
“The guys have a ton of fight and we are heading in the right direction, concluded Raynor. “The kids are putting in the work and I know they want it.”
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