WORTON — Spurred on by a pair of first-half goals from sophomore Dylan Peralta, the new-look Trojans scored a wire-to-wire victory over their guests from Pocomoke at the park here on Monday afternoon, Sept. 29.
Kent County changed its formation from one player up front and four in the back to three and three.
Head coach Dennis Hickman said the reason for the adjustment was “we didn’t find the net against North Dorchester [2-1 loss on Sept. 22] like we should have.”
He said the new formation “yielded the results we were hoping for.”
The new setup, with juniors Sebastien Cousineau, Gabe Parr and Fox Ford as the strongest offensive threat, paid off in a 5-2 victory.
The Trojans (3-5) won for the third time in four matches.
Peralta’s penalty kick in the ninth minute gave host Kent County High School a 1-0 lead that was never threatened.
KCHS led 3-1 at intermission with the two Peralta goals bookending a Ford header off an assist from Parr.
Peralta’s strike in the 34th minute, on a shot from about 15 yards out, made it 3-0 and would hold up as the winning goal.
Pocomoke (1-7) ended the shutout in the 38th minute off a corner ball that bounced around in the box and was then booted in from close range.
Cousineau’s tally in the 51st minute restored the Trojans’ three-goal advantage, 4-1.
Pocomoke dented the scoreboard 14 minutes later with a disputed goal off a fast-break; there was no call on what appeared to be an offside player for the Warriors.
Kent County’s Parr closed out the scoring.
Senior Peter Sine and freshman Jake Stumpf each played one half in goal, with Sine getting the start.
The three-man back line featured Noah Iacona, Stewart Hickman and Bryce Jacobs.
According to the KCHS coaching staff, Cousineau, Jacobs and midfielder/forward Yesner Perez played especially well.
The match was played on the back field at Worton Park while Trojan Stadium continues to undergo what has been described as a “sprinkler upgrade.”
The Trojans will be on the road for three matches next week — Colonel Richardson, Snow Hill and St. Michaels (5-1-1), which currently has the best record among Class 1A schools on the Eastern Shore.
