Eagles Adrian Moreno battles Red Bank Defender during game on 4/20/24.(Photo:GaryBolden/RCM)

Red Bank Wins 3-1 Over Eagles: District Opens May 7th, at Walker Valley

Tuesday night was another flurry of activity at the Eagle stadium with JV starting the action off vs. Red Bank at 5:30pm.  While both teams saw opportunities to score, the game ended in a draw of 0-0, and so the JV season came to a close with an overall record of 4-6-2.  Following that game, the Varsity took the pitch, with both teams looking to be the first to score in the game.  With one of the starting defenders out on injury, the Eagles once again re-arranged their line-up to help battle in the back and put together offensive attacks in the front.  Though the Eagles and Lions had looks at goal, the score at halftime was 0-0.  Coming out in the second half, both teams began to battle more aggressively, with the Lions drawing the first yellow card of the game.  Lions were the first to draw blood, scoring in the second half off an uncontested shot around the 30 yard line that sailed into the far corner of the net, Lions up 1-0.

The Eagles continued to work and try to put together runs up top and kept the pressure up though.  The Lions again managed to score, after the referee discounted the Lions player slamming into the Eagles’ goalie after he had already caught and secured the ball in his hands.  The force of the contact caused Wes Robinson to drop the ball, which the Lion then shot into goal.  Despite the captains, coaches, and players talking to the referee, the flagrant foul on the Eagle goalie was allowed to stand, and the goal counted, Eagles down 2-0.  This was a big discouragement to the team, but the Eagles were not short on grit and determination and kept rolling.  Eagle’s Head Coach was given a yellow card from a referee a short time later for calmly questioning a call, and then a clean slide tackle by an Eagle player that claimed all ball was called a foul shortly after, right outside of the 18 box.  The Lions took advantage and planted it firmly in the corner of the net, up 3-0.

The Eagles battled back with Levi Toliver banging a header into the net, caught on film and camera, but the referees allowed the Lions to kick it out of the goal and would not allow it to be questioned as a goal.  The Eagles, discouraged but not beaten, kept pressing and eventually Steven Hernandez’s header off of Andrew Morgan’s corner kick found the back of the net, with him running it all the way in the back, so that no player could kick it out, uncontested goal.  Eagles are now on the board, 3-1.  The intensity and chippiness is now at a headl, so when an Eagle’s late slide tackle was poorly timed and missed the ball but got the player, a red card was immediately drawn, still only halfway through the second half.

The Eagles rallied and beat their wings and despite playing down one player the rest of the game, they managed to dominate and hold the Lions on their end of the field for the rest of the game.  The final game score was 3-1.  Eagle’s record now stands at 7-7-1, with a double-header at home taking place for Varsity on Friday, May 3rd, facing the CSTHEA Patriots at 5:45pm and Rockwood at 7:30pm.  The District tournament playoff game will be held next Tuesday, May 7th, at Walker Valley at 7pm.