Eagles Lose 2-0 to Cleveland; Get Win: Junior Varsity Split
RMS vs. Cleveland, 4-9-26
The Eagles hosted a big district game at home on April 9th vs. the Cleveland Raiders. Varsity kicked off at 5:30pm with both teams stepping onto the pitch looking to score first. A breakdown in the middle of the field within the first 10 minutes left Cleveland strikers wide open right outside of the box and the 2 shots they fired off didn’t miss into the far corner of the net,Raiders up 2-0 quickly in the first half. The Eagles readjusted quickly, despite the shock of the almost back-to-back goals, and came out looking to even the score, controlling the ball and pressure, even having a breakaway with 5 seconds left in the half, which unfortunately was shot just shy of the near corner. Halftime saw the coaches and players again refocusing and adjusting, and the Eagles came out controlling the shots and pace of the game, even when questionable referee calls seemed aimed against them. The Eagles outshot the Raiders the 2nd half, but it still wasn’t enough as they all narrowly missed the goal. Final result was a 0-2 loss. Eagle’s record is now 3-6 (District record is 2-5).
The JV game followed with Cleveland, once again, finding the back of the net first and being ahead at halftime, 0-1. The game kept going back and forth throughout the entire game, and with 5 minutes on the clock, the Eagles received an indirect kick opportunity inside the box. Mauricio Lopez stepped up and booted it to the near corner of the goal, grazing the Raider’s 3 man wall, as it went in, tying the game 1-1. The center ref called it a goal, with the angle to see the graze, but the 2nd ref, with no angle, negated the goal, stating it didn’t touch a 2nd person, so the Eagles lost a legitimate goal. Despite their best efforts, the Eagles didn’t find another opportunity to tie the goal, ending in a loss of 0-1. JV record stands at record of 5-4-2.
Eagles at Athens, 4-13-26
The Eagles traveled over the river to Athens on Monday, 4-13-26, to face off against the Cougars on their 8th grade night. The Eagles came with a bone to pick, after the last loss of overtime penalty kicks to the Cougars earlier in the season. The first half was a battle back and forth, with the Cougars playing their physically aggressive game, and the Eagles trying to grind in and play with their passing game instead. While the Eagles controlled the tempo of the game and outshot the Cougars 8-1, none of the shots fell, so halftime saw a score of 0-0. The 2nd half saw the Cougars pick up the aggression and their shots, but Finn Shaffer held it down in the goal, holding off each attack and shot on frame. Early into the 2nd half, Gavin McCosh fed a beautiful through ball up to Sawyer Prudhomme, who was able to dribble it down a few yards and chip a hard, long ball up and over the goalie’s hands, putting the Eagles on the board 1-0. While the Cougars never relented in their attacks until the end of the game, the Eagles defense and goalie held them off, with a final win of 1-0 for Varsity, their record now standing at 4-6 (district record 3-5).
JV followed next for another exciting win to wrap up a double shut-out for the Eagles!! Stephen Shaver started the goals off with an assist from Sam Ramos in the first half. Landen Fugate added the 2nd goal of the first half off a direct kick from Hutch Prudhomme, halftime score of 2-0 for the Eagles. The 2nd half saw the pressure and passing from the Eagles continue in a great fashion with an amazing cross from the outside left wing from Iker Lopez that Alex Santiago ran on into it inside the 6 yard box to plant it firmly into the back of the net. Finn Shaffer followed up with the next 2 goals within 5 minutes of each other, one from a direct kick from Mauricio Lopez and the other one from a goalie punt from Jude Anderson. The last and final goal for the Eagles was from Shaver’s as he was fouled outside of the 18, so he took the direct kick, which soared up and over, bouncing from the top of the crossbar down into the back of the net. Final score was 6-0; JV record now stands at 6-4-2. JV team travels to the Cleveland JV Classic Tournament on April 17th & 18th to finish off their season’s final games. Friday, the 17th, the Eagles vs. Signal Mt. at 6pm; Sat., the 18th, Eagles vs. Cleveland-10:15am and then Eagles vs. Hammond Creek-12:45pm. Varsity’s next game is Monday, April 20th, vs. Sequatchie at 6pm for their final district game of the season.