Pioneer soccer goes 1-1 in 7-AAA games
Windy conditions affected play throughout Thursday’s match, which improved the Pioneers to 2-5 overall and 1-1 in district play.
“We had the wind in the first half, and it was against us in the second half, which cut down on a lot of our shots,” said coach Charlie Hardee, whose team fired nine shots on goal in the first half and just one after intermission. “When you’re playing into the wind it holds the ball up, and gave them a better chance to defend us.”
John Jenkins scored the only goal of the game, and goalkeeper Matt George had four saves to preserve the shutout and the win.
“We’re getting better, slowly but surely,” Hardee said. “That’s all you can ask is that they keep getting better.”
Tuesday night at Cookeville, the Pioneers couldn’t find paydirt and just managed eight shots on goal in a 4-0 loss to the Cavaliers.
Cookeville led 1-0 at halftime, and added three goals in the second, including two by Kent Starkweather.
George came through with seven saves in the first half, and had four in the second. Jonathan Bratcher saved five second-half shots, as the Cavaliers put constant pressure on goal throughout the contest.
• The Pioneer junior varsity won its fourth straight Thursday, dominating Lebanon for a 3-0 victory.
Dustin Dowell and Jameson Bouldin scored as WCHS took a 2-0 lead into halftime, and Luis Chavez provided a second half score for the final margin of victory.
The Pioneers had eight shots in the first half and two in the second, maintaining an aggressive offensive attack for much of the game.
Markee Carr scored the only goal of Tuesday’s win, a 1-0 victory over Cookeville. The Pioneers had 11 shots, including seven in the second half, and got six first-half saves from Bratcher. Davy Britton came through with three saves in the second half to help Carr’s goal stand up as the game-winner.
The Pioneers are scheduled to take on Riverdale on the road Tuesday at 4 p.m., and host White County in their Homecoming match Friday.