Triton soccer tops Eastern Wayne

By Ryan Hanchett
Published in Sports on March 5, 2009 1:46 PM

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Future league opponents met on the pitch Wednesday evening as Eastern Wayne opened its women's soccer season with a 3-1, non-conference loss to Triton.

The teams will battle as Eastern Carolina 3-A Conference foes next season when the new realignment becomes effective June 1.

Aside from the Hawks' offense, the Warriors had to battle frigid temperatures and darkness that consumed much of the second half. A malfunction in the lights around the field forced the teams to rely on mother nature as the evening crept along.

"This is the kind of night where it's so cold, you just want to get out of here with no injuries," said Eastern Wayne head coach Jorg Wagner. "The last thing you want in the first game are sprains or torn muscles."

The Warriors seized the momentum with an early goal.

In the seventh minute, Brandy Dean fired a shot on goal that was saved by the Hawks' keeper, but the rebound bounced toward the right post. Marlo Bryan collected the ball and powered it across the goal line.

"I thought we started strong, moving the ball and really making some good passes," said Wagner. "I wasn't pleased with our defensive alignment, but we haven't had much time to work on it, so there's nobody to blame for that."

Triton knotted the game in the 25th minute on a goal by Amanda Rosado. The fleet-footed forward collected a loose ball 40 yards out and carried it down the right sideline before burying a shot from just inside the box.

Both teams missed potential scoring chances in the final three minutes of the half.

Rosado appeared to have an open look at the Warriors' net but could not quite catch up to a crossing pass. Dean followed by narrowly missing outside the far post on the Warrior's final shot of the half.

"We had a lot of chances, we just couldn't finish like we wanted to," said Wagner. "I think that will get better as we get some more time on the field. It just wasn't there tonight."

Triton extended its advantage in the second half.

Dava Johnston made a nice individual move inside the box and belted a shot that deflected off Eastern Wayne keeper Deborah Doran and into the net. Lauren Neville rounded out the scoring in the 39th minute.

"This was a good opportunity to see where we stand with one of the teams that will be in our conference next season," said Wagner. "Tonight they were better than us, but I think we showed that we can play at their level."

Eastern Wayne (0-1-0 overall) travels to North Lenoir on Monday. The game was originally scheduled to be at Little Big Horn, but the lack of lights has forced a venue change.