BLADENBORO – West Bladen defeated Whiteville 3-2 in a penalty kick shootout Monday night after the teams remained tied 1-1 after regulation play and two overtime periods.
It was second victory for the Knights over a team ahead of them in the Three Rivers Conference standings and also avenged a loss at Whiteville last week.
Sophmore Keni Verdugo Gomez staked the Knights to a 1-0 first half lead with a long-range goal. “Keni scored a beautiful 40-yard goal that gave us the lead at halftime,” said West Bladen Coach Phillip Turnage.
Whiteville tied the game with a second half goal, and the teams battled on even terms until the shootout.
Gomez and junior Brandon Labra blasted in the first two Knight goals in the shootout, and junior Angel Martinez fired in the deciding penalty kick.
“Angel was clutch for us in goal stopping 3 of their 5 attempts in the shootout,” said Coach Turnage. “I am so proud of the way we redeemed ourselves tonight. We all wanted to beat this team, and we knew that we could. Tonight we proved it!”
The Knights, now 5-5 in league play, will host rival East Bladen Wednesday night.
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