West Bladen Soccer Explodes for 13 Goals in Two Nights, Keeps Conference Title Hopes Alive

BLADENBORO, NC — The West Bladen Knights soccer team turned their season around this week with a pair of commanding victories at home, breathing new life into their conference championship hopes.

Tuesday night brought Senior Night festivities as the Knights hosted South Columbus, and the celebration on the field matched the emotion in the stands. The Knights wasted no time honoring their seniors with a performance that felt like a statement of intent.

Diego Santos opened the scoring early, converting a sharp pass from Jason Velasquez to set the tone.

The offensive floodgates opened from there. Alejandro Lopez found the back of the net next, finishing off excellent work from Gerson Verdugo. Then Jonah Bryan got in on the action, capitalizing on another Velasquez assist.

Before South Columbus could catch their breath, Santos struck again, this time finding space after a clever feed from Bryan. The Knights carried a comfortable 4-1 lead into halftime.

The second half brought more of the same. Bryan added his second goal following a well-placed pass from Miles Bullard. Santos completed his hat trick with help from Verdugo, and Lopez capped the scoring with a header off a perfectly placed corner kick from Velasquez.

Between the pipes, Wilvert Funez recorded four saves while Bryan added one during his time in goal during the 7-1 victory.

“Tonight was a big bounce back game for us,” Head Coach Brett Jackson said after the win. “We came out tonight more focused attacking and we did that very well. We had one lapse on defense and it cost us a goal but we were able to bounce back. The guys played hard tonight and were able to control the ball well which was something that we had struggled with in previous matches.”

Jackson’s hope was to carry that momentum into Wednesday’s showdown with Red Springs, who entered the match atop the conference standings with a 4-2 record.

What followed was perhaps the best soccer West Bladen has played all season.

The Knights came out with an intensity that caught Red Springs off guard. Just five minutes in, Bryan found himself on the end of a brilliant through ball from Santos and buried it.

The connection between Bryan and Santos proved unstoppable throughout the night.

Bryan added his second goal on a low cross from Santos before the roles reversed and Santos finished a through ball from Bryan to make it 3-0.

Bryan earned a penalty kick inside the box and stepped up to convert it himself, giving the Knights a commanding 4-1 advantage at the break.

Red Springs, despite their lofty conference position, had no answers for West Bladen’s relentless attack.

The second half brought more magic. Lopez rose to meet a corner kick from Bryan and headed it home.

Then Bryan delivered what might have been the goal of the night, a gorgeous volley off a deep cross from Levi Garcia that left the Red Springs keeper frozen.

Funez was solid in goal with five saves, and when the final whistle blew, West Bladen had dismantled the conference leaders 6-1.

“I couldn’t be more proud of the guys and the way they played tonight,” Jackson said. “This is the caliber of soccer that I knew that they could play. We played great tonight against a very strong opponent. This was by far our best game of the season.”

Jackson pointed to renewed focus and harder work in practice as keys to the turnaround.

The team is also finally getting healthier after battling injuries earlier in the season, and the chemistry is starting to click at exactly the right time.

“We played tremendously well on the offensive side tonight scoring a variety of different goals and making some great runs,” Jackson explained. “Our passing was excellent for most of the game and we made some passes tonight that we haven’t previously been able to make. We controlled possession very well and made phenomenal transitions. Our back line played great tonight as well and fended off some crucial attacks. Our keeper made some crucial saves and made sure the back line was in the right place at the right time.”

The two victories dramatically shift the landscape of the Southeastern Conference race. West Bladen now sits at 3-3 in conference play, very much alive in the championship hunt.

South Brunswick leads at 5-2, followed by Red Springs at 4-2, Whiteville at 3-2, and the Knights at 3-3.

Here’s where it gets interesting: West Bladen controls its own destiny. If the Knights can win their final two conference games against South Brunswick and South Columbus, they would finish 5-3.

If things break right elsewhere in the conference with teams splitting their remaining games, West Bladen could find themselves sharing a conference championship with South Brunswick, Red Springs, and Whiteville, all sitting at 5-3.

It’s a remarkable position for a team that appeared to be struggling just days ago. The momentum has completely shifted, and the Knights are playing their best soccer when it matters most. With two games left and a conference title within reach, West Bladen has every reason to believe they can finish strong.

Not to mention they are hovering around the #20 seed in playoff positioning in the 3A NCHSAA Playoff Projections.

The Knights will look to keep this winning streak alive as they head into the final stretch of conference play, carrying with them the confidence that comes from dominating back-to-back opponents and proving they can compete with anyone in the Southeastern Conference.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

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West Bladen Soccer Explodes for 13 Goals in Two Nights, Keeps Conference Title Hopes Alive