Jeremy spoke in class today
Alvarez’s four goals send Knights to Senior Night win
By Tom Ham hammer@wilsontimes.com | 265-7819
Junior Jeremy Alvarez, taking a breather, fumed when Friendship Christian knocked in the tying goal (3-3) midway the second half.
His mindset was to rectify the situation when he returned to the pitch some three minutes later.
Alvarez blistered in a pair of goals the final 10 minutes to send the Greenfield School varsity boys soccer team to a 5-3 Senior Night triumph on a breezy, chilly (yes, chilly) Tuesday evening.
Alvarez, the Knights’ leading scorer with 99 points (37 goals, 25 assists), registered four goals and an assist as Greenfield climbed to 4-1 in the 1-A/2-A Coastal Plain Independents Conference and 14-2-2 overall.
Friendship, a 4-3 overtime loser in the first meeting, dropped to 3-4 and 6-11, respectively. The 2-A Falcons of head coach Ric Nelson are playing in the conference for just the second year.
Alvarez sent Greenfield ahead for keeps with 9 minutes, six seconds remaining with a left-footed shot after fielding a pass from junior Sebastian Partida.
Then, with under eight minutes showing, senior Zeke Ferrell worked the ball to Alvarez, who blasted a shot into the right corner of the Falcons’ net.
Senior Rusi Jones had netted the Friendship goal that produced a 3-3 tie with 23:08 remaining.
“It was partly structure,” Alvarez commented of the circumstances leading to the Friendship goal. “But we had a 3-2 lead and we got lazy and tired.”
Upon ending his breather, Alvarez immediately demonstrated his intent, constantly attacking.
“I know this team counts on me and I need to show out every match,” Alvarez explained. “I was in the right place — at the top of the box and corner — at the right time. I felt confident when I took the shots. I always have confidence in my shots.”
Observed head coach Eric Nguyen: “He’s a playmaker. “He’s been our playmaker all season. He does what No. 10 is supposed to do.”
The Falcons stung Greenfield for senior Matthew Vicini’s first of two goals in the seventh minute.
Greenfield quickly answered with Alvarez’s first goal off an assist from junior William Smith. Less than four minutes later, Alvarez staked the Knights to a 2-1 edge on an assist from Partida.
Friendship knotted the score at 2-2 on Vicini’s second goal — when he challenged Greenfield junior goalkeeper Frankie Peele one-on-one, juked him and finished with a nifty move.
With just over 19 minutes before halftime, Greenfield forged a 3-2 lead on a goal from sophomore Matt Kirby. Alvarez had the assist.
Before the late second-half scoring spree, Smith and Alvarez generated several Greenfield threats. The Falcons managed chances from Vicini, senior C.J. Tahtinen, senior Josh Vazquez and junior Josh Howze. On a free kick, Vicini was denied on a diving save from Peele.
“This is our first game since fall break,” Nguyen noted, “and we were struggling to find rhythm. But we found a way to pull out a win.
“With this being the first match since fall break and considering our first match was pretty competitive, we knew it could be a tough match. But I thought, with the emotion of Senior Night, we would play better.”
But, in the final 10 minutes, Alvarez came to the rescue of seniors Ferrell, Nick Sessoms, Zeke Ferrell, Byron Arens, Hayden McLamb and Parker Johnson on their night.
“This really helps our confidence to play Wayne Country Day again,” Alvarez said.
Greenfield lost 3-0 to 2-A conference foe Wayne Country Day in the first meeting and WCD is the host for Thursday’s rematch at 4:30 p.m.
Alvarez’s four goals send Knights to Senior Night win
By Tom Ham hammer@wilsontimes.com | 265-7819
Junior Jeremy Alvarez, taking a breather, fumed when Friendship Christian knocked in the tying goal (3-3) midway the second half.
His mindset was to rectify the situation when he returned to the pitch some three minutes later.
Alvarez blistered in a pair of goals the final 10 minutes to send the Greenfield School varsity boys soccer team to a 5-3 Senior Night triumph on a breezy, chilly (yes, chilly) Tuesday evening.
Alvarez, the Knights’ leading scorer with 99 points (37 goals, 25 assists), registered four goals and an assist as Greenfield climbed to 4-1 in the 1-A/2-A Coastal Plain Independents Conference and 14-2-2 overall.
Friendship, a 4-3 overtime loser in the first meeting, dropped to 3-4 and 6-11, respectively. The 2-A Falcons of head coach Ric Nelson are playing in the conference for just the second year.
Alvarez sent Greenfield ahead for keeps with 9 minutes, six seconds remaining with a left-footed shot after fielding a pass from junior Sebastian Partida.
Then, with under eight minutes showing, senior Zeke Ferrell worked the ball to Alvarez, who blasted a shot into the right corner of the Falcons’ net.
Senior Rusi Jones had netted the Friendship goal that produced a 3-3 tie with 23:08 remaining.
“It was partly structure,” Alvarez commented of the circumstances leading to the Friendship goal. “But we had a 3-2 lead and we got lazy and tired.”
Upon ending his breather, Alvarez immediately demonstrated his intent, constantly attacking.
“I know this team counts on me and I need to show out every match,” Alvarez explained. “I was in the right place — at the top of the box and corner — at the right time. I felt confident when I took the shots. I always have confidence in my shots.”
Observed head coach Eric Nguyen: “He’s a playmaker. “He’s been our playmaker all season. He does what No. 10 is supposed to do.”
The Falcons stung Greenfield for senior Matthew Vicini’s first of two goals in the seventh minute.
Greenfield quickly answered with Alvarez’s first goal off an assist from junior William Smith. Less than four minutes later, Alvarez staked the Knights to a 2-1 edge on an assist from Partida.
Friendship knotted the score at 2-2 on Vicini’s second goal — when he challenged Greenfield junior goalkeeper Frankie Peele one-on-one, juked him and finished with a nifty move.
With just over 19 minutes before halftime, Greenfield forged a 3-2 lead on a goal from sophomore Matt Kirby. Alvarez had the assist.
Before the late second-half scoring spree, Smith and Alvarez generated several Greenfield threats. The Falcons managed chances from Vicini, senior C.J. Tahtinen, senior Josh Vazquez and junior Josh Howze. On a free kick, Vicini was denied on a diving save from Peele.
“This is our first game since fall break,” Nguyen noted, “and we were struggling to find rhythm. But we found a way to pull out a win.
“With this being the first match since fall break and considering our first match was pretty competitive, we knew it could be a tough match. But I thought, with the emotion of Senior Night, we would play better.”
But, in the final 10 minutes, Alvarez came to the rescue of seniors Ferrell, Nick Sessoms, Zeke Ferrell, Byron Arens, Hayden McLamb and Parker Johnson on their night.
“This really helps our confidence to play Wayne Country Day again,” Alvarez said.
Greenfield lost 3-0 to 2-A conference foe Wayne Country Day in the first meeting and WCD is the host for Thursday’s rematch at 4:30 p.m.
