High school boys soccer: Hornets edge East; Cougars tie

Published 5:47 pm Thursday, August 22, 2024

GRANITE QUARRY — Salisbury’s boys soccer team stayed undefeated with a 2-1 win at East Rowan on Wednesday.

The Hornets (3-0-1) got first-half goals from David Austin and Joel Suarez.

Austin opened the scoring with a set piece strike from 24 yards out midway through the first half.

Austin initiated the Hornets’ second goal on another free kick, finding  Suarez, a sophomore who scored his first career goal (in his fifth contest) for a 2-0 halftime lead.

The Hornets didn’t score in the second half, and the Mustangs (1-2) made it exciting.

“East Rowan showed a ton of fight and continued to go forward, pressuring as we worked our way through injuries and inconsistencies,” Salisbury coach Matt Parrish said.

A mistake in the back led to a wide-open shot for East freshman Riley Kunonga, who buried the ball in the back of the net to cut Salisbury’s lead in half.

Salisbury spent the last 18 minutes holding on.

“We collapsed for several minutes and we’ve simply got to get better going forward, particularly once we get into conference play,” Parrish said. “But I’m proud of the team. They have showed a ton of heart and guts, some of my favorite qualities.”

Salisbury welcomes 4A Davie next Wednesday at 6 p.m.

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CHINA GROVE — Anthony Beckham scored on a penalty kick, as Carson (1-0-1) battled to a 1-all tie with North Iredell on Wednesday.

Albert Rhyne scored for North Iredell.