Hunt goalie Lennon Warren goes after a ball headed by Southern Wayne’s Alex Trejo during first-half action Wednesday evening in Dudley. Watching the play is the Warriors’ Mattox McKeel. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Southern Wayne’s Skerverson Aphael, left, works for possession against Hunt’s Mark Dixon during their Quad County 3A soccer battle in Dudley. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Southern Wayne’s Jesus Giron Castillo, left, gets ready to challenge Hunt’s Jonathan Lareto for possession of the ball Wednesday evening. Castillo tallied a hat trick (three goals) for the Saints in their 5-0 shutout of the Warriors. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
DUDLEY — Divine intervention? Maybe.
Midway through the opening half Wednesday evening, the assistant referee on Southern Wayne’s side of the field suffered a cramp in his right leg. While he received assistance from the trainer, Saints head coach Luis Ramirez used the break to calm down his team.
The Saints couldn’t finish inside the 6-yard box. One shot hit the post and Hunt keeper Lennon Warren, along with some defensive help, stopped five attempts.
“I told the guys you’ve got to have more control, go back to your basics and that opens way more opportunities,” Ramirez said. “One of our biggest things is shifting together, playing as a unit. Our field is very wide. Our Our guys practice on it every single day and we know how to use our field. We began to use it to our advantage.”
The floodgate quickly opened.
Jesus Giron Castillo scored off an assist from Alfredo Alvarado, which spearheaded a 5-0 victory over the Warriors in their Quad County 3A affair on the Doyle Whitfield Athletic Complex pitch.
Castillo hat trick (three goals) in the 37th and 64th minutes for the Saints, who rose to 10-5-1 overall and 5-4-1 against QCC this season. Cesar Espinoza and Danilo Morales provided one goal apiece.
Morales, Luiz Velasquez and Miguel Campuzano doled out one assist apiece.
Riddled with injuries, Southern Wayne controlled a majority of the possession throughout the 80-minute contest. The Saints prevented the Warriors (0-15-1, 0-10-0) from building an attack from the back and intercepted passes once they reached midfield.
The solid defensive effort created counter attacks, which put constant pressure on Warren. The senior net-minder finished with 12 saves.
“We really wanted to get on the scoreboard first,” Ramirez said. “We know for sure that needed a win, especially with the way the standings are [in conference].
All this occurred without sophomore striker Daniel Velasquez (illness) and starting keeper Joey Segura, who suffered a season-ending injury last week against East Wake. Osbaldo Avila, one of the team’s top goal scorers, worked between the pipes and collected four saves.
“It’s a ‘next man up’ thing right now,” Ramirez said. “Osbaldo is actually just coming back from an injury. He is at 80 percent and said he wasn’t comfortable hopping onto the field, but he said ‘I’m good to play goal.’ I need him more on the field than in goal.
“Right now, we’re still working on the keeper situation.”
Southern Wayne entertains South Johnston next Monday. Kickoff is 6:30 p.m.
