WHITLEY SOCCER TEAM ROLLS

The Whitley County Colonels evened their boys’ soccer record at 3-3 Monday with a dominating performance over the Perry Central Commodores, 6-2.

The Colonels scored six goals and allowed only one shot in the first 50 minutes of the game.

“We are improving every single game and that’s the most important thing,” Whitley County Coach Bosco Cupac said. “We are learning from our mistakes and we are getting better as the season goes on.”

In Monday’s contest against the Commodores senior Cameron Reeves scored off a throw-in with less than a minute gone in the game. Less than five minutes later it was Reeves scoring his second goal at the 34:17 mark to put the Colonels on top 2-0.

The teams settled down into a defensive battle for the next twenty minutes before Alex Rains scored on an indirect kick.

The Colonels fourth goal saw Reeves breakaway at midfield and take Perry Central goalkeeper, Chris Saylor one-on-one. Reeves scored his first hat trick of the season, putting the Colonels ahead, 4-0.

Senior Haden Cane added a goal with 3:23 left in the first half to push the Colonels lead out to 5 goals.

“I thought we started out real well,” Cupac said. “We kept the intensity up the entire game and against a good team that is crucial. To start out and get an early goal, that set the tone for the entire game. We were able to keep attacking and moving the ball.”

In the first half the Colonels had seven shots on goal and scored five times. The defense held the Commodores to just one shot at Whitley County keeper, Dalton Siler.

Whitley County added its sixth goal less than a minute into the second half. Cupac began sending in the reserves early in the half.

The Colonels played their first five games on the road. They started the season with a 4-3 overtime win over North Laurel before dropping the next two games to Pulaski County, 2-0 and South Laurel 2-1.

Whitley County rebounded for a win over district-foe Middlesboro, 4-0, but lost Saturday to a good Madison Southern team 4-1.

“We had an excellent game against Madison Southern Saturday,” Cupac said. “We were tied 1-1 at the half, but we fell asleep in the last 10 minutes of the game and they were able to sneak a couple of goals in.”

“It was just a lack of fitness and it is something that we have been working on, so hopefully it will not be an issue later on in the season,” Cupac said.

It’s back on the road for four straight games with the Colonels visiting Oneida Baptist Institute Thursday at 6 p.m. They will play this same Perry Central team Tuesday in Hazard before taking on Corbin Thursday, Sept. 8. They will close out the road trip at Garrard County, Saturday, Sept. 10.

See the Region rankings in Wednesday’s issue of the News Journal or on facebook at ‘News Journal Sports’