WS Chronicle

Photo by Timothy Ramsey

BY TIMOTHY RAMSEY 

THE CHRONICLE

Winston-Salem Preparatory Academy fought hard against the Ravens of East Forsyth Middle in last week’s soccer match.  The Phoenix held strong throughout the first half of play, but East Forsyth would not let off the gas and left with a 6-3 victory.

The Ravens opened the game by controlling the ball early on, putting shots on goal.  They were able to crack the scoreboard with a goal from Angel Aguilar.  Prep was able to even the score at one with a goal from striker Anthony Hernandez.  Following the goal by Hernandez, the two teams stepped up the defensive intensity, not allowing another goal for the rest of the first half.

Dwayne Leach, Winston-Salem Prep JV head coach, said his team gave a good effort but conditioning may have come into play late in the first half.

“I think the team played very well.  Our first game was Tuesday and we let a couple of goals go in but this time we had a strong first half and the guys got forward a lot more, feeding our strikers,” Leach said.

Hernandez struck again at the beginning of the second half, scoring his second goal of the night.  The goal seemed to wake the Ravens offensive players up as they quickly scored the equalizer.  Lyeen Pastrana was able to tie the game once again at two.

The Ravens then scored three unanswered goals, put-ting them comfortably ahead 5-2.  The Phoenix attempted to mount a comeback but the Ravens defense was stifling in the second half.

Ravens head coach Amber Day says her team was beaten soundly by the score of 9-2 the week prior and they wanted to redeem themselves against Prep.

“They did not want to lose so we went back to some of the basics that we had been practicing,” Day said. “They are really competitive and with the loss last Thursday, they were a little comfortable in the first half because they thought they were a lot better than Prep. Once the second half started they turned their motivation up.”

Isaiah Sales was able to bring Prep closer with a late goal, bringing the score to 5-3.  Vance Barbour of East Forsyth quickly answered with a goal of his own to close out the scoring for the game.

Coach Leach said he knows his team is somewhat thin with not having many subs but is pleased with the effort of the guys on the bench. He says his guys will continue to progress throughout the season.

“From the first game to the second game, we saw a lot of improvement. We kept the score down and it was only the inexperience of our goalie when we subbed out that might have been the difference in the game. We will tighten up at our goalie position and get our midfield a little bit stronger. I think we will be good going forward through the season,” says Leach.