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CARY – Senior Jamie Delgado and sophomore Tevin McClean scored goals Saturday that lifted East Bladen to a 2-1 boys’ soccer victory over Henderson Collegiate in the North Carolina Soccer Coaches Association Kick-Off Classic at WakeMed Soccer Park.

Delgado opened the scoring working a give-and-go with junior Gabril Algozy. “Jamie picked the ball up around midfield, beat a couple of players then passed to Gabril who laid it back to him,” said East Coach Jay Raynor. “Jamie hit a 1-time shot from 20-25 yards out to beat the keeper.”

Delgado assisted on McClean’s goal in the 2nd half that padded the Eagle lead to 2-0. “Tevin took the pass from Jamie and beat multiple defenders before finishing a hard shot past their keeper,” stated Raynor.

The Pride sliced the East lead to 2-1 in the final 15 minutes. “They took advantage of some miscommunication and a misplayed ball around the 18,” noted Raynor. “Tough goal to give up there. We had numbers around the ball and in the area but we didn’t communicate and from my perspective, looked like we assumed the other person was going to make a play.”

Raynor continued, “It was a great game. The guys battled the elements (the heat) and looked good. We are getting better and tonight I thought we showed more of our identity and who we need to be. We passed the ball well and were more aggressive going to goal. The guys are looking more comfortable and seem to be understanding their roles.”

The Eagles outshot Henderson Collegiate 21-8.

“The leadership on the field was better for us tonight,” said Raynor. “Lee (Barnes), Jayce Hatcher, Fernando (Rebollar), and ‘Debo’ (Lewis) are great leaders for our team. They have demonstrated during training and games that they can be counted on. All four had great games for us today.”

Raynor added, “Jamie and Tyler (Eason) were great for us in midfield. Jamie is creative and Tyler is one of the better distributors on the field. Colin King and Zac (Metz) were two who worked their tales off today. Those two never quit and are relentless when they are defending.”

“Chace did a lot for us tonight,” said Raynor. “He didn’t find the back of the net but he created some dangerous chances. His speed up top is hard to match. When we can bring Tevin on to play with Chace, it’s extremely difficult for the other team to keep those two of front of them.”

Raynor added, “Marco Ventura and Andrew Musselwhite had solid performances for us as well. Utilizing their tenacity as well as their speed in the back has helped us shape up some things on our backline. Those two are improving daily. JD McArthur is doing a tremendous job at center back and leading the backline. He can also help generate our attack from deep in our half.

“We had several chances on goal tonight that just missed,” stated Raynor. “Connor Padrick has a knack for positioning himself to get looks on goal. He had a couple tonight that just didn’t go in. Connor gave us some great minutes and generated several chances for us today.”

Raynor concluded, “Proud of the guys and their win today. It’s always good to get a result. The guys looked more comfortable and organized tonight. I felt good going into the game because of their preparation this week. The last few days the guys were good. We are gelling and slowly figuring things out. We are young in some positions, but those guys are getting minutes and experience that should pay off later on in the season.”

The Eagles evened their record at 2-2 and will travel to Hobbton Wednesday night for a 6:30 match.