Trojans move to 6-0 with 4th win by shutout

WORTON — “The bull’s-eye is getting bigger and bigger with every win, so you better get used to the pressure,” Kent County High School varsity boys soccer coach Bo Ford told his players at intermission of a scoreless draw with St. Michaels here on Wednesday night, Sept. 23.

The Trojans were 5-0 headed into the match against the side that knocked them out of the region tournament last year.

Ford did not mince his words in the halftime huddle, ultimately directing his players to “turn our brains on … make good football decisions.”

Mission accomplished.

Dylan Peralta scored what held up to be the winning goal in the 47th minute and Jayden Miller headed in a corner kick in the 74th minute for insurance as KCHS posted its fourth shutout of the season, 2-0.

At 6-0, the Trojans have equaled their win total for each of the past two seasons.

KCHS, which returns its top four goal producers from the 6-8 campaign of 2025, is off to its best start in at least 40 years.

“I felt like if we could play good defense, we could play with anyone because I knew we could score,” Ford told The Evening Enterprise in a telephone interview Sunday, Sept. 27.

“I believe in the boys wholeheartedly, and believe we can play with anyone, but I never dreamt we would be 6-0,” he said.

Kent County did not look like an unbeaten team in the first half against a one-win St. Michaels squad that started a freshman and three sophomores.

“Our backline wasn’t pushing up, which made us disjointed between the midfield and attack,” Ford said, replaying the match.

“We were flat-footed, standing and poking instead of moving our feet,” he added.

Plus, “making the worst decisions I’d seen us make all season.”

The Trojans’ play improved almost immediately when they returned to the pitch for the second half.

Peralta made a deep run down the left side and put a shot on target that required a save from keeper Lucas Greenwood just a minute, 7 seconds into the second half.

Greenwood was tested by Fox Ford and Sebastien Cousineau in the 44th and 45th minutes, respectively.

A wave of offensive pressure that included brothers Fox and Colton Ford, Cousineau and Gabe Parr produced the first goal of the night when Peralta expertly tapped in the rebound of a shot taken by Cousineau.

The Trojans’ next best scoring chance came in the 64th minute when Cousineau’s header from inside the box was wide left.

Cousineau on a breakaway was denied in the 73rd minute when Greenwood rushed off the line to make a stop.

The Trojans earned back-to-back corner kicks in the 73rd and 74th minutes, the latter resulting in the insurance goal when 6-foot-4 Miller headed in Yesner Perez’s insert from the left side.

KCHS had one more legitimate scoring opportunity in the 77th minute when Cousineau carried the ball down the middle of the field on another breakaway that was quashed by Greenwood about 10 yards out.

Despite the sluggish start, Miller said he had confidence that the Trojans would prevail.

“We came into the season with expectations that we’d be a team that could score. Our midfield and attack came through [tonight] when we needed them,” Miller said.

“Hats off” also, Miller said, to his backline mates Nate Sutton and Bryce Jacobs and goalie Jake Stumpf, who had six saves in the second half to preserve the clean sheet.

What’s next: KCHS travels this week to Pocomoke and Kent Island, before returning home Monday, Oct. 5 to face Colonel Richardson.