By Taylor Robins
sports@covnews.com
COVINGTON The Eastside soccer squads sent the Rams back home without any wins during their rivalry matches at Sharp Stadium on Saturday.
The Lady Rams had trouble on defense that resulted in a 6-0 fall. The boys of Eastside heated things up in the second half for a 2-1 victory after struggling to overcome a Newton lead.
Girls
Lady Eagles 6, Lady Rams 1
Eastside’s offensive gave Newton’s defense a hard time from the beginning of the game to the end. Most of the game was spent in Newton (0-5) territory, where the Lady Eagles poured a lot of pressure on Newton’s goalkeeper Kaylah Williams.
Williams was key to Newton’s defense. While she allowed Eastside (2-4) six goals, Williams stopped over 40 attempts.
“It’s her first time playing goal keeper,” said Newton coach David Alexander. “She did really great. She’s the difference. She’s the reason we didn’t get a mercy out and why we got to play 80 minutes of soccer.”
The Lady Eagles ended the first half on top 4-0. Eastside scored their first goal at the 33:43 mark when Sydney Sellers hit the back of the net from close range. Eastside put the score 2-0 after scoring a goal with a kick from the right corner.
The Lady Eagles took advantage of a punt kicked too short by Williams. Eastside gained possession of the ball and brought the score to 3-0 with 3:44 left in the first half. With only three seconds left in the first half, Eastside scored again from a free kick.
“(Eastside) is wonderful,” said Alexander. “I always love playing Eastside. They are coached very well and they are the most sportsman-like folk. They leave everything out on the field. I’m always impressed to watch them play. I love that we have this inter county rivalry.”
Newton’s defense did strengthen in the second half as the remainder of the game was played on both sides equally. However, Eastside’s offense won out while gaining two more goals late in the second half.
“This was the best game we’ve played this season,” said Alexander. “All three of my captains are down. This is a good growth game for us. We haven’t had a whole lot of offense this year. It’s kind of a rebuilding year for us; we’ve only got three seniors on the team. I’m really pleased with the performance. If we were at 100 percent, we would have won this. (Eastside) is not six goals better than us. They have a little bit more experience than us and they are healthier than us. That was the difference in the game.”
Boys
Eastside 2, Newton 1
In the first half, the two teams seemed evenly matched. Neither the Rams (1-5) nor the Eagles (4-3-1) could score in the first half.
That was until the very last second of the first half. Newton’s Angelo Jones scored after heading the ball past Eastside goalkeeper Jackson Gann.
Gann had an impressive performance against Newton. In the first half, Gann saved three times within one minute.
Newton held their 1-0 lead until the 30:16 mark in the second half. That’s when Eastside’s Jackson Jolly sent a rocket into the goal, tying the game 1-1.
The Eagles were able to break the tie with 10:25 left in the game, saving the game from a possible overtime with a Jolly and Billy Love combo. Jolly scored the goal with a Love assist.
