LAURINBURG — Scotland soccer coach Blake Dickerson had plenty to be happy about after his team defeated West Columbus 2-1 on Thursday.

Not only did the Scots (1-1) get their first win of the season, but they also impressed Dickerson with their ability to communicate on the pitch and work against the Vikings’ defense.

“They played great,” said Dickerson, who also got his first win as head coach of the Scots. “They left in all on the field. They pushed hard up until the last minute.”

Adolfo Duran scored both of Scotland’s goals. The first score came on a sliding kick with 17 minutes left in the first half, and the other goal came when a defensive breakdown left Duran wide open in front of the net early in the second half.

“We worked together and talked,” Duran said.

Austin Booth scored the only goal for West Columbus (0-1) on a free kick almost eight minutes into the second half.

The Vikings missed an opportunity to score earlier in the game when Joel Sturdivant tripped with the ball while breaking away near the box in the first half.

The Vikings saw one of their closest attempts of the game fall short when Mariano Perez fired a shot off the crossbar with 19 minutes left in the game.

West Columbus had a final opportunity to even the score with a corner kick as the game’s final seconds ticked away, but Scotland goalkeeper Aubrey Graham knocked the ball out of play to secure the win for the Scots.

Scotland was able to right the ship after a 5-0 loss to East Bladen in its season opener on Tuesday.

Dickerson said there wasn’t a big difference in his team’s mindset heading into Thursday’s game.

“We’re coaching and pushing them hard,” Dickerson said. “We’re sticking together and communicating. That’s what i like to see. Through balls win goals every time. We’ve just got to work on switching a little bit more and we’ve got it together.”

West Columbus will have a shot at revenge when they host Scotland at 5 p.m. on Monday.

Duran
https://www.laurinburgexchange.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/web1_Duran.jpgDuran

Brandon Tester | The Laurinburg Exchange Scotland’s Adolfo Duran, 15, attempts a shot on Thursday as Jordan Dias of West Columbus plays defense. Duran had two goals as Scotland beat the Vikings 2-1.
https://www.laurinburgexchange.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/web1_Soccer1.jpgBrandon Tester | The Laurinburg Exchange Scotland’s Adolfo Duran, 15, attempts a shot on Thursday as Jordan Dias of West Columbus plays defense. Duran had two goals as Scotland beat the Vikings 2-1.

By Brandon Tester

Sports editor

Brandon Tester can be reached at [email protected] or 910-506-3170. Follow him on Twitter @BrandonTester.