His pair of goals were obviously huge, but it was Robert Blake’s crossing pass in the 43rd minute that was truly the showstopper in Kinston High’s 3-2 nonconference soccer victory over Winterville South Central Monday at Viking Field.
The game was knotted 2-2 when Blake drilled a pinpoint pass from the left sideline in the direction of the back post.
“I saw Nic (Frankfort) streaking down the right side and took the chance,” said Blake, a junior midfielder. “That didn’t work out like I planned, but thankfully, Julian (Quintero) was right behind him.”
Although Frankfort ended up whiffing on the pass, sophomore forward Quintero was in perfect position to receive the pass in stride. He easily booted the eventual game-winner past Falcons goalie Matt Arnold, who barely had time to react.
“We executed that situation just the way we practice it,” Kinston coach Joseph Romig said. “Nic and Julian were both in their lanes and Robert hit the spot perfectly. It really was a thing of beauty.”
Up to that point, the Vikings’ performance had been more beast than beauty.
Both of Blake’s first-half goals came on penalty kicks. He was tripped from behind as he entered the box and then beat Arnold lower left to give Kinston a 1-0 lead in the sixth minute.
With his team trailing 2-1, Blake was taken down again in the penalty area, this time by keeper Arnold in the 36th minute.
Arnold left the game but Blake easily beat backup Cannon Williams to the right side.
“We were very fortunate to be tied at halftime,” Romig said. “We played our type of game for the first 10 minutes and then for some reason we totally lost focus and got away from what we do best. They (South Central) dominated the last 30 minutes of the half, and without those penalty kicks we’d have been in deep trouble.”
The final 40 minutes were a different story.
Kinston (1-0-1) came out after intermission and attacked just as they had done at the beginning of the match. This time, they kept up the intensity without a letdown.
Although the Falcons (0-1-1) outshot Kinston 9-5, they managed just three shots on goal in the second half. South Central also wasted 10 corner kick opportunities, tallying a single goal on just two shots.
“This game was a complete turnaround from last week,” said Romig, whose team battled the Falcons to a 1-1 tie August 21 in Winterville. “We controlled that game but couldn’t convert our scoring chances. The roles were reversed tonight. It wasn’t pretty, but it was a win and we’ll take it.”
Kinston goalkeeper Matthew Burwell collected seven saves for the victors.
The Vikings return to action Wednesday when they host East Carteret. The next day they visit Farmville Central.
“We have two tough games on back-to-back days,” Romig said. “We’ll have a much better idea of where we stand after this week.”