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By Brian Pitts

Enterprise Record

When Davie’s JV soccer team faced East Forsyth, Reynolds and Reagan between April 17-26, the War Eagles did not win but the way they played felt like progress.

The game at Mt. Tabor on May 1 did not. The War Eagles went down 9-0, but their major struggles were understandable with so many players out with injuries.

“The most disappointing thing about this loss is that it was our first rematch that did not end with an improved result,” coach William Boswell said. “We have five players out due to medical reasons, and four are on defense. That left us with an inexperienced defensive line that had not spent a lot of minutes together as a unit.”

The bright spots were Skylar Dwiggins and Mariah Rodriguez.

“Although I know they were discouraged, I was proud to see the girls continue to work hard to win and possess the ball,” Boswell said. “Skylar and Mariah gave exceptional efforts supporting the defense from a central position.”

WF 3, Davie 0

Although the War Eagles absorbed a fifth straight shutout loss at home against West Forsyth on May 3, they gave it a heck of an effort.

“First and foremost, I believe the team achieved what I had hoped most for them – that the girls would feel better about themselves and their effort at game’s end,” Boswell said. “Although the scoreboard read the same as our previous meeting, the path to the final score was much different. West opened the scoring directly from a corner kick that the wind helped curl into the far side netting. The second goal – that didn’t come until the second half – was an undeniably great shot from outside the box to the far corner of the goal. Both were great balls and nothing we could fault ourselves for.”

A number of girls earned praise.

“Gracie Finley came through with several tremendous saves and showed her growth as a goalkeeper with much more tenacious play,” he said. “The attacking play of Rachel Ramirez, Isabel Kittleston, Jaylene Rivero, Fuller Kate Holt and Stella Frye consistently created chances with good ball movement. We certainly gave the opposing keeper a great deal more to be concerned about than in the previous meeting. I must give praise to Ella O’Toole and Ava Williams for carrying out our game plan and shutting down West in front of our goal.”

ND 5, Davie 1

In a nonconference game at North Davidson on May 4, Davie got off to a great start thanks to a goal from Ramirez. Davie, though, couldn’t build on the momentum on the warmest day of the season, and North sent the War Eagles (1-11) to their sixth straight loss.

“I was happy to the girls’ elation over an early lead,” Boswell said. “Good team pressure advanced the ball into North’s penalty box. The consistent pressure eventually led to an opportunity for Rachel to put the ball past the keeper at close range.

“After several games in cooler temperatures, the heat seemed to have had an impact on our play. In trying to keep everyone fresh and ensuring all players had the opportunity to rest and remain hydrated, I may have interrupted our rhythm. I think we were all surprised by how much the heat took its toll on our ability to keep up the intensity.”