The Emporia High boys soccer team got a good start on what it expects to be a breakout season with a 3-0 victory over Wichita Northwest Tuesday night in Wichita.
Coach Steve Pearson’s check of the record books could not find a previous victory over the perennial power Northwest, with the closest game in 2000 when the two teams played to a 1-all tie.
As such, the EHS coach was excited about his team’s season-opening victory.
“A 3-0 game isn’t a fluke,” Pearson said. “This was a good solid victory, no questions about it.”
EHS came out firing in the first half, scoring early on an Adrian Trujillo pass that went through the defense and found Alex Guevara, who fired a shot into the back of the net to make it 1-0.
That would be the halftime score, as EHS had four shots on goal compared to just one by the Grizzlies.
In the second half, the Spartans upped the attack.
Carlos Antonio knocked in a hard shot past the Northwest goalkeeper to push Emporia’s advantage to 2-0, and Aaron Aleman finished off the scoring when he found the left corner of the net off a pass from Antonio.
Against an athletic team like Northwest, the Spartans more than held their ground, Pearson said, which eased the coach’s mind.
“My big worry going into this game was how our defense would stand up to a tall, fast team. We’ve had problems with that in the past,” Pearson said. “This was a big win for us both physically and mentally. We had to beat Northwest to prove to ourselves we are as ready as we thought we were for a great season.
“It’s a long way to go to State, but this was a big first step.”
The next action for the Spartans is Monday, when the team travels back to Wichita to compete in the week-long Titan Classic. EHS opens tourney play with Wichita East.
Emporia 3, Wichita Northwest 0
Tuesday at Wichita
Emporia 1 2 — 3
WNW 0 0 — 0
First half
Emp — Alex Guevara (from Adrian Trujillo)
Second half
Emp — Carlos Antonio (unassisted)
Emp — Aaron Aleman (from Antonio)
Game Statistics
Shots on goal — Emporia 12, WNW 3. Saves — Emporia: Spencer Anderson 3, WNW: Jordan Drake 9. Corner kicks — Emporia 6, WNW 3. Direct kicks — Emporia 11, WNW 14. Indirect kicks — Emporia 0, WNW 4. Fouls — Emporia 17, WNW 11. Yellow cards — WNW 2.
Records — Emporia (1-0).