Saints hand Gators first loss of 2012
By Ryan Hanchett
Published in Sports on September 14, 2012 1:48 PM
DUDLEY -- Southern Wayne picked up its second win over a county rival in as many days with a 3-1 triumph over Spring Creek on Thursday night at the Doyle Whitfield Athletic Complex.
The Saints claimed a 7-2 win over Eastern Wayne on Wednesday night.
"The last two days have been very good for us as a team," Southern Wayne head coach Mario Aguilar said. "We played well against Eastern Wayne and we carried that over to tonight's game against a good Spring Creek team."
Southern Wayne jumped on top early when Ulyses Mendoza found the back of the net and made the score 1-0.
Spring Creek tied the game at 1-1 when Otto Binar collected a Southern Wayne turnover inside the 18-yard box and quickly deposited the ball into the net in the 24th minute.
The Saints regained the advantage in the 28th minute when Cesar Benitez deflected a Gators' clearing attempt over the head of the keeper.
"We got behind 2-1 in the first half, but I felt like we were still right where we wanted to be," Spring Creek head coach Linda Salter said. "We came out with intensity in the second half and kept the pressure on, but we just couldn't get the break we needed to get back even."
Southern Wayne added an insurance goal in the 57th minute when Mendoza collected a rebound and fired a shot past the keeper to make the score 3-1.
The Saints' defense made the lead stand up and executed its plan in front of keeper Alejandro Sandoval, who held up his end of the bargain by making four saves on six Spring Creek shots.
"I thought we played well at both ends tonight," Aguilar said. "Things have really been building for us since we got our first win and I think we are going the right direction."
Southern Wayne (4-2-1 overall) travels to South Johnston on Monday. Spring Creek (3-1-2 overall) visits C.B. Aycock next Wednesday.