PEMBROKE — Two weeks ago, Purnell Swett soccer snuck away with a win over Sandhills Athletic Conference rival Lumberton, using penalty kicks, after both teams went scoreless through 90 minutes. On Wednesday night, Pirates senior forward Josh Britt made sure a different narrative was told as he broke free and pushed the ball past Rams keeper Nick Ramirez in the sixth minute to take an early lead.
Following the disappointment of the first matchup, Lumberton coach Kenneth Simmons challenged his group to be more assertive. He said Britt’s opening goal was a relief and was what propelled the Pirates to a 3-1 road win.
“Scoring goals hasn’t been our forte all season long. In eight of our nine losses, we’ve been shut out, so getting the goal early, I thought, gave our guys a little confidence,” Simmons said.
“I thought we were really good for the first 20 minutes of the game. We were moving the ball; we had dictated the pace and rhythm of the game.”
The Rams (5-10-2, 3-9 SAC) were able to weather the storm after surrendering the early goal despite losing the possession and shot battle. Ramirez had some key saves, including one in the waning minutes of the first half as Britt was approaching the box with his second goal in sight. Ramirez came out of the net and confidently slid, deflecting the shot of the Pirates’ (7-9-1, 4-5 SAC) senior captain out of play.
The save kept the score 1-0 heading to the half with a disappointed coach, Alaric Strickland, waiting to talk to his group.
“We weren’t really in it the first half. They really took it to us and they were wanting to make a statement, and they did,” Strickland said.
His team did come out swinging in the second half, however, and displayed more energy on the ball. The heightened intensity led to some chippy play and a couple of players were given yellow cards within the first five minutes. Shortly after, when tempers cooled, the home team would get on the board for the first and only time, scoring on a controversial goal as Rams midfielder Connor Jacobs controlled the ball off a ricochet and powered it through to knot the score at 1.
But that was the lone highlight of the evening, as the Pirates struck again in the 70th minute, when C.J. Nemeroff broke free and converted a one-on-one opportunity with Ramirez to make the score 2-1. The last goal of the night came eight minutes later when Kameron Chavis kicked one in off a rebound, much to the delight of his coach.
“I was very proud of the guys. It took us a while, but we settled back in, finally, to what we were doing in the first half that was bringing us success,” Simmons said.
Nate Cribb and Quinton Frederick contributed with assists for the Pirates.
Meanwhile, Strickland was left disgruntled by his team’s performance after the lone goal.
“It seems like they wanted it more than us and that’s not acceptable. This is a rivalry game and we should always step up for those occasions, he said.
According to Simmons, the win keeps their playoffs hopes alive as they hope to finish near the top of a bunched conference.
“The crazy thing is, after the slow start we’ve had, if we could win out…we could actually finish second in this league and that’s our goal right now,” said Simmons.
Lumberton continues its road trip through the SAC on Thursday to take on the conference’s worst team, Scotland.
Purnell Swett stays at home Thursday to host the conference’s second-ranked team, Hoke County, on senior night.
In other county soccer action, West Columbus posted an overtime goal to defeat Red Springs 2-1 at home.
Fairmont tops West Bladen
BLADENBORO — The Fairmont volleyball team won its second straight match with a four-set victory on the road at West Bladen on Wednesday.
The Lady Golden Tornadoes (9-8, 9-7 TRC) rebounded from an opening set loss to claim the final three sets, 19-25, 26-24, 25-18 and 25-15.
Fairmont’s Mackenzie Johnson had 24 assists and five aces, Alison Pope had a team-high 14 kills and four blocks. Mya Hunt had nine kills and Shekinah Lennon had seven kills.
In the Sandhills Athletic Conference volleyball tournament, Lumberton lost in four sets to the top seed in the conference, Jack Britt.
