Saints top Rosewood in season opener

By Ryan Hanchett
Published in Sports on August 25, 2009 1:46 PM

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Messenger Sports Writer

Southern Wayne opened its boys' soccer season with an impressive 4-0 performance over county rival Rosewood on the Doyle Whitfield Athletic Complex pitch Monday afternoon.

Saints head coach Mario Aguilar saw his team dominate possession in the midfield and set up multiple scoring chances in the early minutes.

Jesus Rodriguez collected a ball in the center of the 18-yard box and fired a shot just wide of the right post in the 15th minute. On the Saints' next controlled possession, Ivan Perez found the mark and gave his team a 1-0 lead.

"I thought the offense was pretty strong and they made good decisions," said Aguilar. "We have a young team, but some of our experienced guys are good scorers."

Rosewood (0-1 overall) countered with an offensive push from Scott Pate, but an open look sailed just over the net. The Eagles seemed to wear down as the game went on under the hot August sun.

Southern Wayne added a second goal late in the first half. Abraham Ponce broke away down the middle of the field and fired a shot into the corner of the Rosewood net.

"I think we are a little behind in our conditioning," said Eagles head coach Daniel Mitchell. "I can fix that, but we also have to get better in the midfield to control the ball and get it to our forwards."

Southern Wayne added two insurance goals in the second half. Both came from Ranferi Hernandez, who gathered a pass from Perez and buried a shot in the 56th minute. Hernandez tacked on an unassisted goal in the closing moments.

"Our guys did a lot of work in the offseason and I like where we are," said Aguilar. "We have to keep working, but it is nice to get the first win of the season."

Southern Wayne held a 11-6 advantage in shots on goal. Rosewood keeper Will Grantham finished with six saves.

"I thought Will played a very nice game tonight," said Mitchell, whose team travels to North Lenoir on Wednesday. "We have to do a better job in front of him before our next game."