Clinton Midfielder, Nelson Guerrero finishes off a breakaway as he sends the ball into the goal for the Dark Horse’s third goal of the match.
Cullen Brewer, 15, faces off with a J.H. Rose defender as he drives the ball down the wing late in the first half.
Clinton’s Chris Zelaya, #14, attempts a shot on goal during first half action.
Dark Horse goalkeeper, Luis Bartolome, puts the clamps on an early match shot.
The Clinton Dark Horse men’s soccer team hosted the 3A J.H. Rose Rampants on Monday night, where they secured a crucial 3-0 victory over last year’s state semi-finalist team.
Clinton was without one of their weapons in Seavy Jordan, who had 10 points on the year and an average of 1.3 points a game, as a collision in a game earlier this season now has him in a cast on his leg.
Action started slow for both teams, as a defensive struggle ensued in the first half. Neither team could truly gain an advantage over the other, as both defenses would shut down passing and shooting lanes as to not allow open looks.
J.H. Rose was able to put on some offensive pressure early, but again, the defense was just too strong. The 3:45 mark saw the Rampants with a breakaway down the field, eyeing a coveted shot on goal, but Clinton’s James Sinclair stayed with his opponent and stopped the advance before any shot happened.
The Dark Horses looked to have scored at the 18:14 mark after a collision with the Rampants goalie left a wide open net, but the goal was called off due to goalie interference on Clinton.
Both teams saw their share of corner kicks early, but neither defense would break, often able to header the ball away and squash any attempt at thorough offensive play. A true tug-of-war was had, as the teams continued to fight over gaining control in a well-suited matchup of soccer teams.
About 25 minutes into the first half, each team had just one shot on goal, but J.H. Rose held the advantage, 2-1, in corner kicks, in the scoreless affair. This prompted Clinton to ramp up their offensive attack, but still no lanes were to be found. One shot out of the corner landed on top of the net and another attempt was nullified by the Rampants’ goalie.
Disaster almost struck for Clinton, as the Rampants fired off a shot on goal at the 34:52 mark and Luis Bartolome wasn’t able to field the ball cleanly at first, which nearly opened up a rebound shot. Bartolome reacted quickly and snagged the ball, saving the Dark Horses from the 1-0 deficit.
Shortly before halftime, Griffin Williams found the back of the net for the first time for Clinton, as he put one into the back right of the net from the left side, giving them the 1-0 advantage heading towards halftime.
After the break, the Dark Horses continued their heavy offensive pressure that they ended the first half with. JJ Najera got a rare header goal just 2:55 into the second half, giving Clinton the 2-0 lead over their tough 3A opponents on their home field, giving them some breathing room as the game ticked on.
J.H. Rose attempted to fire back and tighten the score up at the 44:10 mark, but their shot sailed over the goal and thus were stopped once again. The two teams once again battled for possession around midfield, but Clinton kept their foot on the gas and continued to hold pressure in the offensive zone.
A ball at midfield that Nelson Geurrero snagged led to him having a breakaway down the field, showcasing his speed. The Rampants’ goalie came out to try and stop the play, but precise, laser-focused footwork from Guerrero saw him juke the goalie out and get behind him to put the ball on the net, for the final score of the game. Clinton grabbed a 3-0 lead at the 56:05 mark.
Guerrero almost doubled up on goals for the night, as he sent one towards the net with less than five minutes to go that barely missed, with head coach Brad Spell smiling and yelling out “toenail” through some laughter, talking about the slim margin in which the shot was missed.
As the clock ran out, the Dark Horses won with a final score of 3-0, giving both varsity and JV wins over a tough opponent for the night, through strong defense and a persistent offensive attack.
Brad Spell was happy with his team’s performance against a stout opponent on their home field. “We just said, ‘play feet’,” Spell said, on halftime adjustments. “There were a couple times in the first half where we would try to over-pass it, or pass where we thought the guy was running to. Once we started to play feet and getting better touches of the ball, we controlled the game.”
“I just told the guys that so far, this is probably the best we’ve played all year,” he continued. “We played two, full, complete halves. We were hard-nosed, unselfish, and we played great defense.”
His next comments were complimenting their opponents. “That’s a good, quality team over there,” he said, pointing to the Rampants’ squad.
“J.H. Rose is 3A — they went to the Final Four in 3A last year,” an emphatic Spell said. “So, I’m really proud of that. They had 15 seniors over there, too. That’s a great win for us, to build up for a huge, monumental game on Thursday with Wallace-Rose Hill.”
Clinton moves to 10-1 on the season as they’re set to host 10-0-2 Wallace-Rose Hill on Thursday, in what will be one of the best soccer games this area will see all season.
Reach Brandt Young at (910) 247-9036, at byoung@clintonnc.com, or on the Sampson Independent Facebook page.