HIGH SCHOOL

Smyrna soccer beats La Vergne 2-1

Kenneth Schott

SMYRNA – A score from a perfectly executed header, a score from an own goal and a La Vergne score wiped off the board were elements which boosted Smyrna to a 2-1 win over North Rutherford rival La Vergne on Saturday.

Smyrna scored the lone goal of the first half on Juan Cernas' header off a pass from teammate Walter Lopez.

"I didn't think I would get to it," said Cernas. "I closed my eyes. The ball came in from across and I ran into it."

The goal gave the Bulldogs the lead during a brief rain in the 22nd minute.

Smyrna (6-4-1, 2-0-1 in 7-AAA) took over first place in league play with the win. League standings in 7-AAA are determined through a point system. Teams are awarded three points for every district win and one point for every tie. Stewarts Creek (5-7-0, 2-4-0) had been in first.

Smyrna controlled possession of the ball near the La Vergne goal for most of the first half. The Bulldogs had 12 shots on goal in the first half, while La Vergne (6-3-2, 1-1-2) had only two.

The Bulldogs scored off an own goal after a corner kick in the 48th minute. The Wolverines were bunched up around the goal to defend the kick, and the ball ricocheted off a La Vergne defender and rolled into the net.

"We were playing with fire, giving up so many corners and so many free kicks," said La Vergne coach Allen McMillan. "If you do that, ultimately, you're going to pay – and we did."

The wet conditions were nothing new for either team. Much of the season has been played on saturated fields. Smyrna battled Siegel to a 1-1 tie on Friday on a wet field.

"We talked about once again similar conditions as (Friday) night, where it's a little bit slick," said Smyrna coach Brian Grogan. "Driving some balls in a little bit low and just see what happens. We got a bounce off one of their guys and it went into the net. We'll take it."

After that goal the Wolverines responded immediately. Chrystian Garcia took the ball after a long pass and kicked it past Smyrna goalkeeper John Trent to trim it to 2-1 in the 49th minute.

Then the Wolverines picked up their aggressive play and relentlessly attacked Smyrna's goal in the final part of the game.

"We put a lot of pressure on them the last 20 minutes of the second half," said McMillan. "Give them a lot of credit. They got that early goal on us, and it turned out to be the difference. The margin of error this year (in district matches) is razor thin. One through seven, every team is strong."

The Wolverines appeared to have a goal with 4:46 left when Alex McMillan got past the Smyrna defenders and drove a shot into the net. But he was ruled offsides on the play.

"The official that made the call had a much better angle on it than I did," said Allen McMillan. "He was in position to make the call, so I've got to trust that he made the right call."

DISTRICT 7-AAA STANDINGS

Team

Conf

All

Smyrna

2-0-1

6-4-1

Stewarts Creek

2-4-0

5-7-0

Oakland

1-0-2

6-0-4

Siegel

1-0-2

3-2-3

La Vergne

1-1-2

6-3-2

Blackman

1-1-1

5-3-1

Riverdale

0-2-2

2-3-3

Saturday's result

Smyrna 2, La Vergne 1