From staff reports
Salisbury’s soccer team beat East Davidson 4-1 for the eighth-ranked Hornets’ ninth straight victory on Wednesday at Ludwig Stadium.
The victory over the third-place Golden Eagles kept the Hornets in position to win the conference championship tonight.
Salisbury (19-1-1, 9-1) enjoys a one-game lead over West Davidson and entertains the 15th-ranked Green Dragons tonight at Ludwig following a jayvee football contest. Salisbury’s only loss was 3-2 to West Davidson.
“It’s appropriate that we started the conference season against West Davidson and now will finish it against them,” SHS coach Tom Sexton said. “We are a different team now than we were the first time.”
Salisbury had to fight to beat East Davidson in a physical match.
“Connor Miller was half-crazy in goal and he had to be,” Sexton said. “He snuffed out two breakaways and ripped down jump balls that were in the air. We just got out of his way. He was very aggressive.”
Sexton credited B.J. Woods and Hanson Saryee for brilliant defense.
“Those two ó that’s where this match was made,” Sexton said.
Salisbury’s offense kept the ball outside, then attacked with crosses.
David Simons crossed to Matt Cervantes, who buried a goal for a 1-0 lead. Salisbury took a 2-0 lead after Matt Mazur was brought down in the box. Miller converted the PK.
East Davidson scored shortly before the half on wild pinball action in front of the goal.
Off a corner, Simons found Jordy Sanchez for a 3-1 lead. Then Mazur iced the match by bending a 28-yard groundball rocket around a wall of defenders.
“This was a potential trap game for us, but we played strong,” Sexton said. “We were very creative in our goals, played about as well as we could have.”
East Rowan 4, South Rowan 2East finished its season with a 4-2 NPC victory at South Rowan on Wednesday.
Blake Bettis’ header off a cross by Lido Rivera put South on the board first.
Fifth-place East (9-10-2, 5-7) tied it when Robbie Barnes played a throughball to Reid Lippard. Cody Ludwick’s cross to Jan Garus gave the Mustangs a 2-1 lead, and Dylan Grubb connected from 35 yards out for a 3-1 halftime edge. Barnes passed to Garus, who beat a triple team for his 38th goal and a 4-1 lead.
Rivera knocked in a goal for the Raiders to close the scoring.
“Our guys played at a different level this year, and I’m very proud of that,” East coach John McNeil said. “Teams came into the season not thinking highly of us, but we made some strides. Andrew May, Taylor Owen and Hunter House played big roles, and those seniors will be missed.”
Garus, a junior German exchange student, also will be missed. He broke the school record for goals.