03/29/2024
Spread the love

ELIZABETHTOWN – East Bladen defeated Midway 3-0 Wednesday night in the opening round of the NCHSAA Class 2A Men’s Soccer State Play-offs.

Freshman Garrett Melvin came off the Eagle bench midway the first half and scored within seconds of being on the field. Sophmore Gabe Barber sent a pass to senior Caleb Hatchell who dished it off to Garrett Melvin for the goal.

“We had peppered their goal but couldn’t get a break through,” said Eagle Coach Jay Raynor. “Greyson (Heustess) was in behind the backline in the first 15 seconds and looked to be grabbed by the defender. Caleb had a great chance to score behind their backline (later in the half).”

“I thought we relied a lot on the big ball in the first half, but there were opportunities to get numbers forward,” continued Raynor. “Looking to play the ball in behind is not a bad thing, but the turnovers off those 50/50 balls caused us to transition too much and too often.”

In the second half, junior B. J. Monroe played the ball to senior Brooks McGill who sent a pass on to sophmore Gabe Barber. Barber drilled in the shot from 21 yards out. “That was a heck of a shot!” exclaimed Coach Raynor. “We were able to get numbers and Gabe hit a great shot.”

A clearing pass out from goalie Spencer Scott to Hatchell led to the third East Bladen goal. Hatchell flicked a pass to senior Jacob Barber who knocked in the shot from 9 yards out. “Caleb played a great ball to Jacob who had no issue putting the ball away,” said Raynor.

“We started really playing towards the end of the game,” noted Coach Raynor. “We weren’t as fluid as we have been. Garrett and Jacob coming off the bench and getting goals was huge. They brought a lot of energy.”

“Pierce (Melvin) and the backline did amazing jobs tonight,” added Raynor. “Keshaun (Davis) made several solid plays as did Dan (Tatum). Both guys had great games. Spencer did a fantastic job in net and made excellent decisions coming off the line.”

Heustess led the Eagles with 15 steals, and McGill followed with 14 steals. Davis finished with 13 steals, and Tatum and Gabe Barber totaled 12 steals each. Scott was credited with 2 saves.

The Eagles improved to 21-1 with the win and will host Clinton Saturday at 6 p.m. in a second round game. Clinton handed the Eagles their only loss back in mid-September at Clinton. East Bladen has now won 16 consecutive games since that game.

About Author