Junior forward Marilia Nieves scored a second-half brace to lead the Clover High School girls’ soccer team to a comfortable 3-0 road victory against Nation Ford in Region 3-5A action Tuesday night at Falcons Field in Fort Mill.
Sophomore midfielder Emerson Batson opened the scoring in the 30th minute when she finished a swift counterattacking move with a low shot.
After the half, Nieves pushed the advantage with a 52nd minute header from a corner kick and a long-range shot just a few minutes before the final whistle to pace the Lady Eagles to a 5-3-1 overall record and 2-0 in the region in their second straight region win of the season.
Clover head coach Kelsey Geary praised Nation Ford’s fight in midfield and said she expected a hotly-contested contest in the teams’ next reverse matchup at Clover on March 28.
“You never know what he’s going to throw at you,” Geary said. “Don’t count them out. They’ll have something for us.”
Nation Ford head coach Khrys Dundr said Clover was the best team in the state. He said he wanted his team to remain competitive throughout the game, and said he was going to study the tape to determine what needs to be fixed and which positives to focus on.
“I’ll probably watch it twice tonight and twice tomorrow,” he said. “Every individual and what they, do, as well as the group as a whole.”
Clover enjoyed the bulk of possession and shots in the first half, but the Nation Ford defense largely rose to the task.
Nieves had a strong chance to score in the 25th minute when she found space from about 30-yards out, but her shot was blocked by a Falcon defender. Freshman Jozlyn Isaac struck the rebound, but the shot flew wide of the near post.
The visitors finally struck paydirt in the 30th minute. The Blue Eagles earned possession near midfield with Nieves, who eventually found sophomore midfielder Emerson Batson near the top of the penalty area. Batson slid home a low shot past Nation Ford goalkeeper Peyton Creasman and across the line, despite a Nation Ford defender’s best attempt to clear the ball away at the last second.
The Blue Eagles doubled their advantage in the 52nd minute. Nieves rose highest from a Clover corner kick on the far side, and Creasman was unable to keep her header out.
Sophomore forward Grace Dunnery had Nation Ford’s best chance of the game with about eight minutes left when she let fly a shot from the right wing, but the Clover goalkeeper was equal to the shot.
Nieves supplied the game’s final goal when she hit a long, looping shot from about 25-yards out over Creasman in the 76th minute to cap the 3-0 win.
With the loss, the Falcons drop to 5-4 on the season, 0-2 in region play.
Dundr said his team played three different formations throughout the game, so he is looking forward to dissecting which formations and tactics provided the best effect.
“We had to acclimate to what we need,” Dundr said. “The goal is to be competitive… There were minor mistakes that led to the goals. We will find out where we are weak and try to get better.”
Nation Ford next travels to Blythewood for a region game on Friday, March 17.
March 14 Roundup
Fort Mill
The Fort Mill softball team dropped a 11-3 game to Blythewood to open Region 3-5A play after making nine errors in the game. Fort Mill is now 2-1 on the season.
The Fort Mill golf team finished in 12th place at the Bengal Invitational. Cam Baker finished second overall and was five under par with a 139 over two days. He was also named to the All-Tournament team.
The Fort Mill boys’ varsity soccer team fell to Blythewood 2-1 at home dropping to 3-6-1 overall and losing in their Region 3-5A opener.
Catawba Ridge
The Copperheads girls’ soccer team beat York 10-0 in Region 3-4A play to improve to 5-3 overall and 2-0 in region play.
The Catawba Ridge softball team improved to 6-1 on the season and 2-0 in region play with a 11-2 win over York. The Copperheads were led with a home run from Kendra Murray.
Nation Ford
The Nation Ford golf team finished second at the Magnolia Invitational at Beech Creek Golf Club. The Falcons shot a 459 falling by 10 strokes to South Aiken. Ben Mills tied for first overall for Nation Ford with a 73 on day two of the tournament.
The Falcons tennis team beat Rock Hill 6-0 to improve to 3-0 in Region 3-5A play.
The Nation Ford boys’ soccer team beat Clover 3-2 to improve to 7-3 overall and open region play at 1-0.
