RED SPRINGS — After a go-ahead goal with 6:27 to go in the first half Monday, the Red Springs boys soccer team stayed aggressive over the final minutes of the first half, and scored a second goal with 2:19 until the break.

That second goal turned out to be the difference in a 2-1 win over East Bladen, as the Red Devils dealt the Eagles their first loss of the season.

“It was huge,” Red Springs coach William Judd said of the second goal. “We needed that little boost right there too, because I could tell we were getting frustrated with some calls from the referees, and we needed that little spark. That was perfect.

“That’s my first time ever beating East (Bladen) at any sport. I’m ecstatic — I’m not going to speak too soon after we’ve still got work to do, but it’s a sweet win.”

The two late-first-half goals came after Red Springs (4-0-1, 2-0 Three Rivers Conference) had kept East Bladen (6-1, 2-1 TRC) off the scoreboard throughout the first half despite the Eagles having several scoring opportunities.

Javier Villagomez scored the first goal, his fifth of the season, by placing his shot perfectly through the goalkeepers legs to get it into the back of the net.

“(Olvin Diaz) had the ball, and he just put me a through ball, and I picked my head up and kicked that,” the junior forward said. “I didn’t know if it was going to go in or not, but at least try.”

The second, four minutes later, came when Antonio Bello’s shot was blocked by the goalkeeper and Gael Rodriguez scored off the ricochet for the 2-0 lead. It was Rodriguez’ third goal of the season.

But the second half was not without drama for the Red Devils. East Bladen controlled the ball for a lot of the second half and had several close calls, in addition to the one goal the Eagles did score.

East Bladen’s second-half goal came with 27:38 remaining to make it a 2-1 match. The officials initially ruled East Bladen offsides to negate the goal, but after consulting each other changed course and allowed the goal.

Two minutes later, an apparent game-tying goal was disallowed after a throw-in from the sideline; the ball was deemed to have scored directly off the throw-in, which is not allowed.

“It’s their decision, they decide what to do, what to call,” Villagomez said of the two controversial plays. “We just play our game, and do our thing.”

East Bladen continued to pepper the Red Devils with shots throughout the duration of the game, but none found the back of the net. This included three shots on goal in the game’s final two minutes.

“We all were on edge,” Judd said. “We knew it was never over; with a team like East Bladen, it’s never going to be over, they’re going to fight until the clock hits double zero. It feels good to see all the hard work we put in paying off.

“It’s beautiful to see my team, to watch them grow and to see the growth, and it’s great. That was one of the most emotional games I can say I’ve ever been a part of, but I’m proud of my boys; they did everything they needed to do.”

With the win, Red Springs controls its fate in the TRC, but will still face a tough matchup Wednesday against county rival St. Pauls (4-1-1, 2-1 TRC). If the Red Devils win, they will win the TRC; if the Bulldogs win, it opens the door to a potential three-way tie for first with East Bladen.

“This was just the introduction to where we need to be,” Judd said. “It don’t stop now; we’ve got to carry it over to practice tomorrow. We’ve got to be good in practice, and we’ve got to be mentally prepared for St. Pauls when they come in. We can’t get side-swiped by it being senior night and everything; we’ve got to come in with a common goal, and we’ve got to make sure we handle business, that’s the No. 1 thing.”

“It’s going to be the same thing; we’re going to come out here and try to do the same thing again,” Villagomez said. “Try to win, go to the playoffs.”

Lumberton tops Scotland

The Lumberton boys soccer team earned a 4-0 win over Scotland on senior night Monday.

The Pirates (7-3-2, 7-3-2 Sandhills Athletic Conference) led 3-0 at halftime over the Scots (3-9-1, 3-9-1 SAC) before adding the second-half goal.

Luis Izeta scored twice for Lumberton. Jair Santos and Oswaldo Flores each had one goal and one assist.

The Pirates host rival Purnell Swett Wednesday.