Rosewood forward Jesus Salas Ramirez (7) challenges Southern Wayne freshman Anthony Castillo for possession of the ball near midfield Wednesday evening. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Southern Wayne junior Gerardo Sauno (3) and Rosewood midfielder Ian Smith work for possession of the ball. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
DUDLEY — How do you handle an embarrassing moment?
Learn from it.
Southern Wayne took that mental approach heading into Wednesday evening’s non-conference outing against Rosewood on the soccer pitch. The Saints controlled the tempo from the opening kickoff and logged a 3-0 victory.
“We definitely needed to get back into the win column,” Saints head coach Luis Ramirez said. “To be honest, those [three straight] losses hurt, but the guys knew that eventually we’re going to turn it back around.
“They knew what had to be done today.”
The Saints kicked off the week with a 9-0, mercy-rule loss at juggernaut James Kenan. Ramirez lamented his team’s inability to talk on the field, create an offensive attack and defend well inside the 18-yard box.
Communication wasn’t lacking against the Eagles.
Despite the absence of a midfield presence on occasion, the Saints (2-4-0 overall) managed to generate consistent attacks on goal. Ramirez’s team attempted 15 corner kicks and attempted 20-plus shots on frame.
Rosewood goalie Collin Beasley collected 18 saves.
“Our communication pleased me today,” Ramirez said. “One of the things that pleased the me the most is we also got some of the guys [on the bench] that haven’t gotten any opportunities to get on the field get on the field.
“Some of the guys that were out there the entire 80 minutes, they were able to adapt to the new faces that were around them.”
Southern Wayne broke the scoreless draw after the first-half water break due to the humid, hot conditions. Sophomore Jorge Ramirez converted an unassisted goal after the Eagles’ defense cleared a corner kick.
Senior captains Ivan Alvarado and Alex Trejo accounted for the Saints’ second-half goals. Alvarado scored around the 43rd minute while Trejo converted a corner kick past the 60th minute.
Southern Wayne goalies Daniel Diaz and Leonel Mondragon combined for the shutout between the pipes. Diaz recorded two saves, while Mondragon had three stops.
The Saints improved to 36-29-4 against county opposition since 2010 with 17 of those victories resulting in a shutout.
Ramirez’s team entertains Eastern Plains 2A powerhouse Greene Central next Wednesday and Northern Nash the following evening.
“I want to see us do the same thing we did today – communicate and pass the ball around, take some shots … make them a little harder for the keeper,” Ramirez said. “They’re strong teams. Greene Central, I work with a lot of those boys at the club level and know what they bring.
“When we set up the schedule we wanted some tough opponents. Northern Nash was a very young team last year. With some experience, they’re going to be a tough team.”
The reigning Carolina 1A champion, Rosewood exited 0-2-0. The Eagles begin a three-game road swing Sept. 5 at Jones Senior.
You may reach sports writer Rudy Coggins at prepswriter2@gmail.com or call/text 919-709-9257.
