Westwood goalie Zech Burgess makes a leaping save.
The far more experienced Blythewood Bengals had an easy time against the young Westwood soccer team, winning by a score of 8-1 Monday night. The game was played mostly in the Westwood end, with few scoring opportunities opening up for the Redhawks. The only successful score by Westwood occurred when Tyler Johnson broke free with the ball and shot one past the Blythewood goalie.
Westwood head coach Tyler Halvird was nonetheless very proud of his boys.
“Our team played up to their ability and my expectations,” Halvird said. “Given the way the season has gone, most teams would just put their heads down and walk through the rest of the season. These guys haven’t done that. They are mostly all freshmen playing against much older teams.
“We Played good team ball today,” Halvird added, “I would have liked to see these guys play harder from the start but they settled down and played well, however.”
As with the Jones sisters in volleyball, this game featured a brother vs. brother showdown. Blythewood senior Quenten Howard squared off against Westwood freshman Brandon Howard. Georgia Southern-bound Quenten scored one of the Bengal goals.
“Playing against your brother is crazy!” exclaimed Quenten. “Sort of like going against your brother in household rivalries, the competition is much greater in organized sports.”
Asked if Quenten is his brother or his competitor on the soccer field, Brandon, the Westwood football kicker, said he is “both.” Halvird said the brothers have had this game marked on their calendars from day one, and that Brandon stepped up and played great.
Blythewood head coach Peter Wittig said the game went pretty much as expected. Referring to Westwood, he said, “These guys are brand new, mostly ninth-graders. They are just like we were eight years ago when our program started. During the game, Nakamura scored twice and Wildman scored directly from a corner kick, which is very unusual.”
Westwood next faces Camden High School on Friday. Blythewood Hosted Lexington Wednesday.
