Rosewood's defense preserves second-half lead

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on September 24, 2015 1:48 PM

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rcoggins@newsargus.com

SEVEN SPRINGS -- Neither Rosewood nor Spring Creek could consistently organize its respective back line during first-half play Wednesday afternoon.

The defensive struggles led to a 3-3 tie at halftime.

"We were kind of all over the place and that was the big talk at halftime," said RHS head coach Eddie Maldonado, who saw his team's two-goal advantage vanish within the final two minutes before the break.

"We were stabbing at the ball and we just had to do a better job from midfield back staying in front of the players, stop giving players room. We did a lot of ball watching. Instead of looking one step slow, we looked two or three steps slow."

The Eagles picked up the pace in the second half.

Daniel Alberto punched in an unassisted goal in the 48th minute that ignited a three-goal outburst during a three-minute span. Rosewood protected its advantage and cruised past Spring Creek, 6-3, at "The Swamp."

Senior Ethan Chapin led the Eagles' offensive attack with two goals and two assists. Fellow senior Zack Barnes provided two goals and one assist, while junior Stalen Massengill chipped in one goal.

"We were a completely different team on both ends (in the second half) because we worked hard defensively, stayed with the man and didn't let them get wide open," Chapin said. "Offensively, we kept more possession and played better balls. We didn't rush."

SC head coach Carlos Borda liked the Eagles' tactical play of connecting passes, then sending the ball long to either Chapin or Barnes -- who consistently made runs down the sideline.

Rosewood executed its set pieces, too.

Barnes headed a Chapin throw-in into the net around the 11-minute mark. The two hooked up again in the 32nd minute when Barnes sent a sharp pass into the box and Chapin chipped a goal-scoring shot over the keeper's out-stretched gloves.

Four minutes later, the two connected again.

Chapin crossed a ball into the box and Barnes slid toward the back post to finish off the one-touch goal.

"That's probably the best goal I've seen all year from this team from any one," Chapin said. "I wasn't sure he was going to get there, but he dove for it and got it. I was excited."

Two consecutive turnovers in the Eagles' defensive half of the field allowed Spring Creek to tie the game. David Ortiz closed the gap to 3-2 and Alejandro Marrero-Peralta converted a penalty kick.

"They did a good job of finishing," Maldonado said of SC. "I thought we made it easier for them to score than we probably should have. But you can't give good teams chances. You have to make them work for stuff instead."

Maldonado's concerns grew greater when Spring Creek's first shot just after halftime bounced off the post. But his team settled down defensively, built another three-goal lead and held on for its seventh win of the season in 11 tries.

"Unfortunately, the second half we started out cold with a couple of mistakes back there," Borda said. "That breaks any defense. I think the attitude of the players, they couldn't stand up from that. That was a big punch."