Fort Mill head coach Henry Kalungi said he trusts junior midfielder JJ Gomez to make plays that’ll benefit the whole team.
That mentality played out Tuesday, April 29, where Gomez logged each of Fort Mill’s goals in a 3-0 home win against Region 3-5A opponent Indian Land at Bob Jones Stadium.
“We’re not here by accident,” Kalungi said. “We’re very talented. Things don’t happen from nowhere. If we put in the effort, we’ll build, and we can make miracles happen.”
Gomez scored on a solo effort in the 10th minute, converted an 11th-minute penalty kick, then finished his trifecta with a side-footed effort in the 67th minute to secure a comprehensive win.
Fort Mill, now 9-9 overall and 6-5 in region play, will finish the regular season at home against crosstown rival Nation Ford 7 p.m. Thursday, May 1. Indian Land dropped to 7-13, 3-8 in region play with the loss. Fort Mill entered the game in fourth place in the region standings behind Catawba Ridge, Clover, and Nation Ford.
Fort Mill pressed the visitors early on, earning several close chances. Sophomore Charlie Sutton latched onto a cross from the far side, but Indian Land goalkeeper Dane Fuerher smothered the chance at the last moment.
The Yellow Jackets took advantage of their momentum with two goals in the next two minutes of play. Junior midfielder JJ Gomez enjoyed a strong solo effort, stealing the ball off a defender in Warrior territory and finishing a low, left-footed shot to the far post, past Fuerher to open the scoring.
Fort Mill doubled its lead just a minute later when a Fort Mill player was cut down in the Indian Land box, leading Gomez to slot home an 11th-minute penalty past Fuerher.
Junior Diego Sosa enjoyed Indian Land’s best shot on goal from a 17th-minute free kick, but couldn’t put his quick effort on frame from 10 yards out.
Both teams enjoyed chances in the second half as the tempo picked up. Sophomore Ethan Seastead saw his reaction shot from inside the box carom off the post of the Indian Land goal following a 51st-minute corner kick.
Indian Land junior Coen Wilson forced Fort Mill senior goalkeeper Stanley Marshall into a diving save when he launched a dangerous shot from distance after beating three Yellow Jacket defenders six minutes later.
Gomez completed his hat trick in the 67th minute, breaking into the Indian Land penalty area thanks to a through pass from Gabriel Gritz, then finishing low to Fuerher’s left from close range to give Fort Mill a 3-0 lead.
Kalungi called Gomez a “special young man” and said his team had a lot of good players like him to contribute.
Kalungi said his team and Nation Ford employ different styles.
“If we stick to what we do best, this will be a fun game to watch,” he said.
