Knights Open Season with Hard-Fought Battle Against North Brunswick

BLADENBORO, NC — West Bladen’s boys soccer team opened their 2025 season Tuesday evening at home in Bladenboro, dropping a close 2-1 contest to visiting North Brunswick.

The Knights showed plenty of fight in their first outing of the year, creating chances and matching the Scorpions in stretches of the match.

Jonathan Ortiz found the back of the net for West Bladen, finishing off a setup from Alejandro Lopez to give the Knights an offensive spark.

Goalkeeper Dylan Hernandez kept his team in the match with five saves, turning away several dangerous opportunities from North Brunswick.

It was a familiar matchup for the two programs.

A season ago, the Knights split with the Scorpions, falling 4-2 on the road before returning home to earn a hard-fought 1-0 win.

West Bladen hopes history can repeat itself this fall, with another chance for redemption when the teams meet again later in the season.

Coming off a 7-10-1 campaign, the Knights are aiming to build consistency and turn close matches into wins. The schedule doesn’t give them much time to rest.

West Bladen travels today (Wednesday) to face Northside–Jacksonville at 6 p.m. before heading across the county for a rivalry showdown at East Bladen on Thursday evening, also at 6 p.m.

The Knights may have started 0-1, but their performance against a quality North Brunswick side showed there’s plenty to build on as the season unfolds.

---

Knights Open Season with Hard-Fought Battle Against North Brunswick