RHS boys’ soccer team opens 2024 season with 2-0 home win against Mars Hill
The Russellville boys’ soccer team opened its 2024 campaign with a win on Tuesday night, defeating the Mars Hill Panthers 2-0 at Golden Tiger Stadium.
After a slow start to the game for last year’s 5A quarterfinalists, the Golden Tigers found their footing and scored goals on either side of halftime to secure the win.
“The first 20 minutes I thought were extremely sloppy,” said Russellville head coach Trey Stanford, now in his eighth season. “We played kind of sluggish and slow. The last 20 minutes of the first half and the second half I felt like we played much better.”
Even during that initial “sloppy” spell, Russellville managed to find the opening goal. In the ninth minute a dinked ball into the box from Brian Lara fell into the path of Manny Martinez, who connected on the half volley to send the ball into the top right corner of the net.
“(Martinez) has been a staple for us now for two or three years,” Stanford said. “He’s been with us since he was in the eighth grade, and he actually played in the state championship. Just a great dude, great player, great athlete.”
Martinez also played a role in Russellville’s second goal, which came in the 67th minute. Martinez’s pass found the run of Hailezgy Tekle in space on the right flank. Cutting inside and running into the box, Tekle beat his defender and the goalie with a shot that found the far side netting.
“Hailezgy is a younger guy, a good player, who’s going to be a key player this year and the next couple years,” Stanford said.
The Golden Tigers, ranked No. 6 in Class 5A, ended the game with over 20 shots and had 12 shots on goal. But for some brilliant saves and vital interventions by the Mars Hill defense, the score could have been more lopsided.
“We had some really good shots,” Stanford said. “(Mars Hill) has a good keeper. He made some great saves. He laid out and dove for two (saves) that were absolutely awesome.”
In defense, Russellville starting goalkeeper Miguel Andres was only forced into making two saves. The Panthers’ speed caused the Golden Tigers to look vulnerable at times to the counterattack, but the backline was able to recover and clear up most of the danger. Russellville maintained most of the possession in the game and was widely successful in keeping Mars Hill pinned back in its own half.
The win will provide Russellville with some momentum, but in assessing Tuesday night’s performance, Stanford said there are facets of the game his squad need to focus on improving. Possession, winning the ball in the midfield, and communication are some of the areas he highlighted.
Whereas many other teams in the state, like Mars Hill, already had multiple games under their belts, this was Russellville’s first taste of real action. Stanford said playing games will aid in the team’s development and chemistry going forward.
“We’re still learning each other, sort of,” he said. “We’ve practiced a lot but it’s hard to get that (game) intensity in practice. You can practice all these drills, drills, drills, and you can scrimmage, but there’s no substitute for games.”
Up next, Russellville will face one of its biggest tests of the season when the Florence Falcons come to Golden Tiger Stadium. Florence is 7A’s eighth-ranked team in the latest coaches’ poll.
“You either win or you learn from it, so that’s what’s going to happen next Tuesday (against Florence),” Stanford said. “Against a team of a caliber like that, if we can play with them then we know we can play against anyone in the state.”