NNS Midseason Report: South Lenoir Soccer
NNS Midseason Report: South Lenoir Soccer
South Lenoir soccer has opened its first season in the new 3A alignment with a 4-2 record, showing resilience despite battling injuries. Head coach Jody Turner’s message has been consistent: “Next man up, we will be alright.”
The Blue Devils have leaned on depth early, with nine different players scoring goals through six matches and six of them finding the net multiple times. Freshman Alonzo Lopez leads the team with five goals, while junior Emilio Flores Salinas has tallied four goals and a team-high four assists. Senior Michael Chavez has also chipped in four goals, providing veteran presence on the attack.
Defensively, sophomore goalkeeper Benjamin Gonzalez has been a steady presence with 40 saves, giving South Lenoir reliability in net as the schedule intensifies.
South Lenoir owns wins over Havelock (6-4), West Craven twice (6-0, 4-1), and Goldsboro (6-2). Their two setbacks came on the road at Northside-Jacksonville and in a rematch with Lejeune.
The Blue Devils enter conference play with momentum and sit ranked No. 13 in the state RPI and No. 4 in the 3A East, with playoff seeding determined solely by RPI.
Conference Standings (through Sept. 11):
Clinton (0-0, 7-1 overall) – 38 GF, 4 GA – 2W
South Lenoir (0-0, 4-2 overall) – 24 GF, 13 GA – 1W
East Duplin (0-0, 4-4 overall) – 15 GF, 24 GA – 1W
Heide Trask (0-0, 2-4-2 overall) – 8 GF, 30 GA – 3L
Pender (0-0, 1-6-2 overall) – 12 GF, 19 GA – 1W
Southwest Onslow (0-0, 0-5 overall) – 6 GF, 20 GA – 5L
The Blue Devils begin conference play on Sept. 29 at home against Heide Trask, followed by a pivotal Oct. 1 showdown with Clinton.
Trey’s Take: I love a Coach Jody Turner team. He and Coach Zach Pierce do a great job leading this group. South Lenoir has players all over the field, and while the goalie is young, he’s showing real potential. Injuries haven’t slowed this team down — they play with confidence, have fun on the field, and should make conference play exciting.
