Midway’s soccer team (6-4) led 1-0 against James Kenan before the Tigers scored three goals in the second half to defeat the Raiders at home Monday evening.
Midway’s Juan Melchor opened the scoring eight minutes into the game when he cashed in the rebound shot, after his teammate Carson Cain made JK’s goalkeeper save his first shot.
“James Kenan is an incredible team,” Midway coach Austin Kriger said post-game. “They’re really good at attacking the wings and working inside. We did very well in the first half making sure that we cleared the ball when it got to the backfield and marking up the people that we needed to. A little bit of mistakes here and there. We lost a man or didn’t give the extra effort to make it through. The promising thing is that those little things are things we can correct.”
Midway goalkeeper Brenner Boswell was tested constantly in the game by James Kenan’s attack. The score doesn’t illustrate that two of the Tigers’ goals came from rebound shots that were saved by Boswell.
“It’s definitely encouraging to a defense,” Kriger expressed. “That trust aspect of knowing that when you make small mistakes, you can trust the guy behind you. Obviously, some fall into the back of the net, but having that trust factor lets them know that we’ve got someone who’s helping us, controlling us, and telling us where to move. Brenner great about even when we have those little mistakes, he’s either going to save it or if it goes in the net, the first thing he does is tell them (defense) what they did wrong, but also try to boost them up and get back in it and don’t let it get to them.”
A notable absence in the game was Midway’s Max Florido, the Raiders’ top goal scorer. The coach would not say why he didn’t put Florido in the game.
As Midway’s team goes on the road today at 6 p.m. to play against Wallace-Rose Hill, Kriger highlighted just how competitive their conference is.
“It’s an incredible conference,” he emphasized. “I think the last time I looked, we had four teams in the top 15 or something like that. Our goal is to finish first, but the good part is, no matter the outcome, each and every game we’re getting better. We are playing pretty much the best teams. Wallace was champion last year, James Kenan made a deep run, Spring Creek is a very good team, and Goldsboro and Rosewood are great teams as well. While it’s tough to finish at the top of the conference, we enjoy having that challenge because it really preps you for the most important thing, which is getting into the playoffs and making that deep run.”
Against the opponents that Kriger listed, the Raiders currently hold a 1-1 record against, as they defeated Spring Creek 2-1 back on Sept. 16. Following Wallace-Rose Hill, Midway plays Rosewood at home on Monday, Sept. 28. After a non-conference matchup with Wilson’s Mills, the Raiders then Goldsboro on Monday. Oct. 5. The overall conference record for the soccer team is 2-1, which currently puts them in third place in the standings.