EDGERTON -- The Worthington boys soccer team dominated the first half of its 7-1 victory at Southwest Christian on Thursday, scoring five goals before the break.
“We scored five goals in the first 20 minutes,” Trojans head coach Smitty Ektnitphong said. “We kept the starting group in until then and they played the way they’re capable of playing. That paved the way for our reserves to come in and get some good quality minutes against Southwest Christian.”
Edwin Hernandez scored three goals and tallied an assist in the game while playing multiple roles for the Trojans. He scored in the sixth, 16th and 47th minutes, and assisted on an 18th minute goal by Jon Keoduangsy that put Worthington ahead 4-0.
“Edwin is always a team player,” Ektnitphong said. “Today he played some midfield and he played some forward. He did his part. If you put him at forward, he’s going to put himself in a position to score, and when he plays midfield, he is going to try to deliver the ball to his teammate to create a scoring chance.”
Ivan Rodriguez hit a long-range shot from 25 yards out in the ninth minute. He corralled a loose ball at the top of the key and had enough space between himself and the defender to take the shot.
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“You don’t see Ivan take many of those, unless there’s an open shot,” Ektnitphong said. “Because I always ask him to go for the high percentage shot. But we know he has range and when you leave him empty space, he will take the shot.”
Trojans goalie Sander Diaz even got in on the scoring action late in the second half, scoring the squad’s final goal in the 79th minute. After keeping a clean sheet in goal in the first half, he played up front the whole second half while Ben Lopez tended the net in his absence.
The Eagles scored their only goal of the game in the 70th minute, after the game was far out of reach.
The Trojans are now 5-1 in their first six games, and the head coach feels good about his team’s standing.
“We are almost headed to the halfway point of the season and I feel like the defense is getting there and we have a group of forwards -- between Ivan, Jon and Edwin they can do a really nice job,” Ektnitphong said.
The Trojans host Mankato Loyola on Saturday.
Worthington 5 2 -- 7
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Southwest Christian 0 1 -- 1
