Cortes-Torres gets second-half natural hat trick, Cougars break into win column

By Cam Ellis
Published in Sports on April 2, 2015 1:48 PM

• Print
• Email

cellis@newsargus.com

The Goldsboro girls' soccer team's season was at a crossroads.

Winless during their first 11 games, the Cougars held a meeting at practice on Tuesday to talk about the team's collective attitude. There was, as head coach Leha Andres described, "an attitude of self-entitlement," with the team that needed to be addressed.

The team took something from that meeting to heart.

One day later, the Cougars handed Kinston a 4-0 loss in Eastern Carolina 2-A Conference play.

Goldsboro didn't take long to score. In the 17th minute, Timaya Williams put one past the Kinston keeper from close range. The Cougars (1-7-4 overall, 1-1-0 ECC) kept the pressure on Kinston's defense for most of the first half -- coming close on several corners and free kicks -- but couldn't finish.

The Cougars took a 1-0 lead into at halftime.

The Cougars' offense blew the game open in the second half, however.

Team captain Juanita Cortes-Torres scored the first of three consecutive goals in the 44th minute, firing a ball from just outside the box over the keeper's head. She converted a free kick in the 56th minute and completed her natural hat trick (three straight goals) four minutes later.

"She's just one of our dynamic players," Andres said. "She can do the slow game, the footwork, and the speedy game. She also just has really good aim, so we're always proud of her."

Cortes-Torres was just happy to finally get a win.

"Yesterday we talked about being a team, and how to respect each other," she said. "And we're a family. It feels awesome that we got our first win and I got a hat trick."

Andres talked about how she's seen "two separate" Goldsboro teams play this season -- one that goes 0-7-4 in 11 games and one that beats Kinston 4-0. Both her and Cortes-Torres both think they can start playing more consistently like the latter.

"Well I think yesterday we fixed what we did wrong, and today we came out as a team," Cortes-Torres said. "We went out there communicating and we went out there like we wanted to play soccer."

Andres was just glad to see her players answer a challenge.

"I think they had some time to think about yesterday's game, which was a really big disappointment, to today," she said. "They really needed to prove that they wanted to wear that jersey and I think they did a great job."

The Lady Cougars now have a week off before playing again April 13th at county foe Rosewood. The lengthy break concerns Andres, who wants the team to keep momentum from its first win of the season.

"It's going to be tough," she said. "But I know they've been hungry for this, they've wanted it for so long that I think coming back, they're going to be pumped up to keep it going."