Eagles Get Two Wins in Lebanon Tourney

By: Todd Pridemore
The Southern Boone soccer Eagles entered the Lebanon Tournament last week with one win and one loss to start the season. They opened tournament play at midday on Friday against the Marshfield Bluejays (0-2).

SB outmatched the Bluejays from the beginning, taking a 1-0 lead with a goal from freshman Miles Butler in the 10th minute. Ten minutes later, Brayden Watson converted a penalty kick to double the lead. The floodgates opened in the final 10 minutes of the first half with goals from Alejandro Pagoada, Drew Dial, another Watson PK conversion, and Peyton Arnold. The Eagles subbed many younger players into action during the second period, and added an additional goal from Butler to make the final a 7-0 victory.

Junior captain and center back Zachary Hawkins (center) controls the ball against the Lebanon Yellow Jackets. Hawkins, his defensive teammates, and goalkeeper Emery Arnold shut out the Yellow Jackets in a 2-0 win for Southern Boone.

The Eagles faced a very talented Carl Junction Bulldogs squad (3-0) in the heat of the Friday afternoon sun for their second match. The Bulldogs were not only athletic and talented, but they pushed the tempo and exhibited an aggressive style of play that drew numerous foul calls throughout the match. The SB defense held strong during the opening half, with one highlight coming when defender Easton Cooper blocked a sure goal just in front of the net after a Carl Junction corner kick.

The Eagles claimed a 1-0 lead when Watson was fouled in the Bulldog’s box and converted the PK attempt – his 3rd PK of the day. That lead would hold up until the 47th minute, when a Bulldog forward received the ball behind the SB defense and scored.

As the match wore on, the player depth differential of both squads became very apparent. The Eagles players tired as they rotated only a few players throughout the match, while Carl Junction continued their up-tempo, aggressive attack as they subbed in many players from their bench.

The Bulldogs piled on four more goals in the final 17 minutes to claim a lop-sided 5-1 victory.

Southern Boone drew the host Lebanon Yellow Jackets (1-2) at midday on Saturday for the consolation match. The first half went scoreless as both teams were relatively evenly matched. The second half began much like the first period, but senior Pagoada turned out to be the difference maker for Southern Boone.

The talented forward helped put the Eagles on the board first halfway through the 2nd half when he served a corner kick that found its way to Butler, who put the ball in the net. Alejandro added an insurance goal of his own in the final minutes of the match. The 2-0 win moved the Eagles’ overall record to 3-2 on the season.

Southern Boone hosted Moberly (2-2) on Monday evening, but results were not available by press time. The Eagles are scheduled to host Sunnydale Academy today (Wednesday, Sept. 11) at 4:30pm in Ashland.