Lee has a good start

STUARTS DRAFT — Robert E. Lee got its first Southern Valley District win of the year, knocking off Stuarts Draft 3-0.

As the sun went down, so did the temperature and before long fans and players alike were bundled up trying to stay warm, but it wouldn’t take long for the Leemen to warm up.

The Leemen came out strong early and put pressure on Draft, keeping the Cougars keeper on his heels. Before long the Leemen were able to spring past the defense as Alan Lopez knocked home the first goal of the game at the eight minute mark.

Lee did not let up and continued the all-out attack. A bouncing pass came to Ben Slaughter on the right side of the box, as he kicked the ball right past the keeper giving the Leemen the 2-0 lead.

Draft couldn’t get any chances in the first half and was in a defensive mind set for most of the half. Draft’s only real scoring chance sailed over the crossbar.

In the second half, Draft was able to open the field up a little bit more as the urgency to score set in. The Cougars had numerous chances to score, but were not able to get anything past the keeper.

“We came out really flat there in the first twenty minutes and they were able to put two in early. They were playing a lot harder and with a lot more energy than we were,” said Draft coach Chris Loomis. “We started playing with a little bit more control there in the second half and were able to get some chances.”

Lee had their chances to put the game out of reach early in the second half, but it couldn’t convert on its scoring chances until Lopez came through for the Leemen again.

Lopez set up for a free kick outside the box, analyzing all his options and saw that the goalie had shifted out of position to one side and took the long kick that curled into the back of the onion bag giving the Leemen a 3-0 lead.

“I was just focused on trying to get the ball in the net,” said Lopez. “I was thinking about passing, but when I saw the goalie move to the one side I just saw the opening on the other side and shot it.”

The win marked the first on the year for the Leemen (1-1, 1-1 Southern valley) as Draft (0-3, 0-1 Southern Valley) is still looking for its first victory. Lee coach Scott Harrison said he was pleased with the effort on such a cold night.

“It was a physical game and I was very pleased the boys hung in there. These type of games are tough to keep from being fatigued and tired,” Harrison said. “With this being such a young team I thought they played really great. This win will definitely give us some confidence going forward.”