By Michael Lindsay
The Cumberland County Jets picked up a key District 7-2A soccer victory Friday night as they made the 4.1-mile drive through Crossville to defeat the Stone Memorial Panthers, 2-1.
“Both teams want it really bad,” said Cumberland County head coach Cub Whitson. “That’s the beauty of a rivalry game. It’s always a competitive game and it’s huge to come over here to get a win.”
Jet senior Gabriel Alva opened the contest with a goal from outside the 18 to give Cumberland County a 1-0 lead with 34:06 remaining in the first half.
Cumberland County extended their advantage with 18:01 left until halftime as freshman Graham Davidson assisted junior Jamie Perez for a goal from the left side to give the Jets a 2-0 lead.
“There were a few connections, which I love to see,” said Whitson. “Graham sent a beautiful ball to Jamie’s left foot, who blasted it to the far post. It was a great play and ended with a great shot.”
Stone Memorial responded with 12:50 left in the first half as Austin Machic found the back of the net to get the Panthers on the board as they trailed 2-1 at halftime.
“We started off really strong,” said Whitson. “I was really proud of the start. We like to keep the games coming pretty heavily, but because of the weather this was our third game in three weeks. I definitely think that showed after the initial burst.”
Cumberland County’s defense held strong in the second half as freshman keeper Ian Gargac shut out the Panthers for the final 40 minutes to secure the Jets’ 2-1 victory.
“In the second half, we did a much better job of controlling the game,” said Whitson. “We kept the ball and kept moving it, and sometimes that’s enough. Defensively, it was a strong effort. I was really proud of Ian for staying calm in an intense rivalry game.”
Cumberland County (7-2-2) improved to 3-0 in District 7-2A play with the victory. Up next for Cumberland County is a district contest at White County on Tuesday while Stone Memorial is set to host Jackson County.
