Senior Elijah Clark (6) of the Fighting Scots battles for possession against Seventy-First during a heated midfield clash, while teammate Nathan Ward (3) looks on during the first half.
Travis Petty Jr | The Laurinburg Exchange
LAURINBURG — At last, the wait is over. After 358 days without a victory, the Fighting Scots soccer team stormed back from a halftime deficit to earn its first win of the season, defeating Seventy-First 6-4, marking the first win for newly appointed head coach Jeremy White.
“Confidence is sky high,” head coach Jeremy White said. “This is a great team. I love these guys; they are learning what it takes to win.”
Toughness and resilience defined Thursday night’s victory. As in their match-up versus St. Paul, the Scots were sluggish out of the gate. The Scots went into the half down 2-1 and rallied together in the second half, pulling off a miraculous comeback, holding Seventy-First to only two goals while the Scots scored five.
“We were beating ourselves, just as we did against St. Paul; the same thing was happening versus Seventy-First,” White said. “After being down going into the half, I told them, ‘You guys have to want it,’ and they came out in the second half and showed they wanted it.”
“It was an amazing victory,” freshman Nathan Ward said after his four-goal performance. “We didn’t have our best outing in the first half, but we stepped it up in the second half.”
Ward was named the player of the game in this match-up and was all smiles following the game.
“It feels great; we communicated better and scored together as a team,” Ward said. “I feel amazing, but I couldn’t do this without my teammates.”
Scots players junior Jackson Hernandez and senior Elijah Clark also contributed with a goal apiece in the comeback.
With a win, the Scots evened their record at 1-1 and finally earned some breathing room. This comeback may prove to be a confidence booster to a program eager to turn things around under a new head coach.
Just as he did after the Scots lost on Tuesday night, head coach Jeremy White guaranteed a victory going into Thursday’s game against Seventy-First. White is just as confident, guaranteeing wins next week against Richmond and a rematch against Seventy-First.
“We’re ready for next week; Richmond better look out. This is not the same Scotland team they’re used to beating,” White said. “This is going to be rough for them. When we travel to Seventy-First, nothing will be different; it’s going to be rinse and repeat minus the mistakes but the same result as today. I guarantee two wins next week.”
The Scots will have another home-stand as they host their rivals Richmond on Aug. 25 at 7 p.m.
Travis Petty Jr can be reached at tpetty@cmpapers.com or 910.506.3171 ext 2027. Follow him on X @T_PettySports.