Golden Tigers go 2-1-1 over last four matches

The Russellville High School varsity boys’ soccer team picked up a loss, a draw, and two wins over its last four games as the Golden Tigers improved to 4-2-1 overall this season. 

Russellville competed in a two-day tournament Feb. 23 and 24, playing three games against Mountain Brook, Westminster Christian, and Leeds. After a 1-0 loss to the Spartans, the Golden Tigers picked up a 1-1 draw against Westminster before blanking Leeds 3-0. 

Mountain Brook, a 6A power in the sport, was always going to be a tough match for the Golden Tigers, but Russellville head coach Trey Stanford said his team, after a slow start to the game, didn’t back down from the challenge.

“Anytime you play a team like (Mountain Brook) you’re going to have to come out with a different level of intensity,” Stanford said. “Our kids didn’t come out with that in the first 10 minutes but then kind of settled into a groove and played a lot better after that.”

“The second half we had multiple really good open opportunities to actually win it, and then we made a mistake at the very end. I felt like we played really well most of the match and I was pleased with it,” he added.

Just a short while after the end of the Mountain Brook match, Russellville turned around and played Westminster Christian. The match was Russellville’s third match in a span of two days and it was apparent on the field, Stanford said.

“Our kids were pretty exhausted and their legs were tired. Needless to say it showed,” he said.

Westminster opened the scoring but Brian Lara later equalized with his second goal of the season. The match and its 1-1 result were a source of frustration to the players, Stanford said.

“We were frustrated, our coaches were frustrated, our kids were frustrated. We just didn’t deal with adversity very well,” he said. “We controlled the ball most of the time, and I felt like we should have beaten them by a couple goals, honestly.”

“We couldn’t buy a goal. It seemed like every shot it was wide or high. Everything that could go wrong in that match, went wrong,” Stanford added.

After the game Stanford’s team talk was about overcoming adversity. He wanted to use the Westminster game as a coachable moment.

“We talked to them about it for a while and kind of gave them a spirited pep talk before we got on the bus and went home,” Stanford said. “Sometimes you’re going to be tired and you’re not going to feel well, but what happens if you’re in the playoffs and you don’t feel great? Are you going to give up and quit? Things like that, to let them know that no matter what the situation may be, sometimes you just have to do what you’ve got to do to be successful.”

The pep talk–and a good night’s rest–appeared to have the desired effect when Russellville came back the following day to play Leeds. The Golden Tigers shutout the Greenwave 3-0 as three different players–Tekle, Christian Martin, and Brian Lara–found their names on the scoresheet.

“When we came back Saturday afternoon to play you could tell we were much more fresh and rested,” Stanford said. “I was really pleased with our guys coming back Saturday and matching the intensity that we expect of them and the standard we’ve set in our program the past seven seasons.”

The Golden Tigers played well in every facet of the game and Stanford was pleased with how his team responded against a potential future playoff opponent.

“We came out and kind of dominated the match in a sense,” he said. “We possessed the ball very well, moved the ball with intensity, we challenged every ball and weren’t letting balls hit the ground. All of that is very important. We were winning the midfield and any ball in the air, our guys were always there. It was extremely exciting because playing like that we came away with a 3-0 win against an extremely talented team.”

After a full day off the Golden Tigers once again hit the road for a game at area rival Lawrence County on Feb. 26. Russellville continued right where it left off against Leeds and produced another shutout, this one a 7-0 spanking of the Red Devils.

“If anyone knows Russellville and Lawrence County, it’s always a battle, no matter what sport it is,” Stanford said. “They give us all they’ve got, but I felt like we played pretty well. I felt like we moved the ball well. We had some really nice set ups, some really nice combinations.”

Brian Lara led the team with his first hat-trick of the year. Erik Jacobo scored his first two goals of the season while Tekle added a brace to give him a team-high seven goals.

The match looked a lot like Russellville’s previous area victory over West Point. The Golden Tigers went ahead early and never looked back. The hosts put up three goals in the first half and another four in the second to seal it. This allowed Stanford to sub and rest his starters while giving some younger players valuable minutes on the pitch.

The second area win in as many games sets Russellville up for what Stanford believes will be a showdown with Brewer for the area title later this season.

“We play Ardmore (Feb. 29) and if we win that one, we’ve got Brewer coming up soon. Brewer is extremely talented. I’ve been watching them very closely this year,” Stanford said. “(Brewer’s) coach and I are good friends, he’s a good dude, and he does a great job with their program with what he’s got. They’ve got a center (midfielder) that can absolutely play. We’ll have to play very well to win the region this year and, luckily, we get (Brewer) here first when we play them.”

Stanford said it will be tougher to achieve the team’s goals than it has been in years past, but he said he’s looking forward to seeing how far this group can go.

“It’s exciting, man,” he said. “We’re going to have to fight challenging teams come (playoffs), but it’s exciting and I think these young guys are growing into their roles a bit. They have a chance to finish strong with a special year. We’ll keep working and keep practicing and hopefully we get to that point and that level we know we’re capable of.”