The Community Christian School girls soccer team’s offensive prowess was on full display on Monday night, as the Cyclones shook off some early post spring-break rust in dispatching visiting Trinity Christian 12-3.
Aspen Evans led the Tigers with five goals and an assist, and the Cyclones, who improved to 10-2-1 on the season, piled up eight goals in the first half before eventually securing a mercy-rule victory over the Tigers (3-5).
“It took us a while to get started,” said CCS head coach Carl Bradshaw. “But once we got started, the girls passed the ball really well. We’ve had a week off, but once they got into a rhythm and started feeding the ball to the outside and getting it back to the middle, it was really good. Their touches were a lot better as the game progressed. So I was pleased, offensively, for sure.”
After the Tigers took a 1-0 lead less than a minute into the game, it was all Cyclones.
Trinity kept its 1-0 lead for about 10 minutes before Evans buried a shot from the middle of the inside of the box, tying it at one.
“I was able to see the field, and people were talking to me all through the field,” Evans said.
The Cyclones then exploded for three goals in 1:05 to take a 4-1 lead, as Autumn Bradshaw dribbled down the field and sent a cross through the box that went off a defender and in, putting CCS up 2-1.
Bradshaw flew down the field and buried a shot from inside the 18 just 35 seconds later, and then Evans buried a long-range shot.
“We were playing it out to the wides and then crossing it in,” Evans said.
Tallies from Ava Dunn and Barrett Godwin, who also tallied three assists, staked CCS to a 6-1 lead.
The Tigers managed to pot a couple late goals in the first half, but Katelyn Brown and Abril Ventura, who also added an assist, made it 8-3 at halftime. The Cyclones piled up 30 shots on goal, led by Evans with nine, with Bradshaw putting up five and Ventura, Brown and Dunn grabbing four apiece.
“It was definitely the talking,” Ventura said. “We were spacing out, using the whole field and making good through passes.”
Claire Carter and Taylor Ricks split the game in goal, with Carter making two saves and Ricks one.
Evans tallied two more goals early in the second half, showing off her ability to bury long-distance shots on both to make it an 11-3 game.
“Aspen is a very good player,” Carl Bradshaw said. “She’s a very unselfish player as well. She can score really any time she wants. I asked her towards the end of the game to focus on some assists. She was really trying to get assists, which was great. What that will do is as we progress through the season, she’ll be multi-faceted, not just a scorer but a passer as well. She controlled the game, and it was really nice to watch.”
Ventura buried a top-shelf shot with 17:14 left to play, ending the game on a nine-goal mercy rule.
The large lead, along with the absence of seniors Abigail Jackson and Savannah Ellis, allowed Bradshaw and his staff to find playing time and contributions throughout the roster.
“We’re getting towards the end of our season and our playoffs are coming,” Bradshaw said. “So we’re trying to figure out the best rotation. It was good today because we were able to move some girls around. We made notes on the sideline. We’re missing Abigail Jackson and Savannah Ellis, who are on their senior trip, so we knew we would be down a little bit. But as we watched the girls and we moved them around, it was good to be able to rotate girls in.”
The Cyclones will take on American Leadership Academy Johnston on Tuesday as they continue to prepare for next Monday’s monumental showdown with Christ Covenant.
The Spartans, who currently lead the Mid-Atlantic Christian Athletic Association North Region with a 5-0 mark, are the only MACAA team CCS has lost to this season.
“I think we really have a lot of confidence,” Bradshaw said. “I feel like this is good. We didn’t know a lot about Trinity, and I told the girls we needed to use this to move to our next game against ALA and then Monday, we play Christ Covenant at home. It’s our Senior Night, and it’s the only game we’ve lost at home this year. So this is a really big week as far as games and practices to propel us to that game. So we’re ready to work hard and face off against Christ Covenant again.”