By Michael Lindsay
Cumberland County cruised to another victory on the pitch Tuesday night as a 4-goal effort from junior Niki Azzani led the Jets to a 5-0 victory over DeKalb County in District 7-2A action.
“The intensity and energy were good tonight,” said Cumberland County head coach Cub Whitson. “It would’ve been easy to let up after a big district win last week against Stone, but we were focused and ready. We know DeKalb is coached well and plays extremely well.”
Senior Jamie Perez opened the contest with a goal before Azzani scored two in the first half to give Cumberland County a 3-0 halftime lead.
Azzani tacked on two more in the second half to complete the 5-0 victory. Levi Neal, Aurelio Velasco, Dylen Navarro, Brody Harshaw and Perez each recorded an assist in the victory.
“You want to score early and often,” said Whitson. “Niki had four massive goals and he was placing it well. I could brag on every single defender; everybody that stepped on the field brought something positive.”
Cumberland County improves to 9-2-2 overall and 5-0 in District 7-2A play while DeKalb County falls to 4-5-1. Up next for the Jets is a home game against non-district foe Rhea County on Thursday at 6 p.m. while DeKalb County is set to host Warren County.
“Our goal of making it to Murfreesboro is never going to change,” said Whitson. “We feel like we can compete with anybody in the state, and we’ve been working on changing that from competing to beating. I don’t know if we’re there yet, but that’s where we want to be.”
