THOMASVILLE — Thomasville’s hot start brought it within sight of its first conference title in decades.
The Bulldogs scored twice in the opening seven minutes, regained control as momentum shifted and beat crosstown rival East Davidson 4-3 in Central Carolina 3A Conference boys soccer Wednesday at Thomasville.
“It was a great game — both sides fought,” Thomasville coach Brandon Staton said. “They clawed back in. We clawed back in. And we just kept it. We never let our foot off, and that’s why I’m proud of these guys. To rebound from losing to them earlier in the season and having so much on the line tonight.”
Nelson Vasquez scored twice for the Bulldogs (16-3-1 overall, 7-2 conference), whose current run in the CCC goes back to 2008 — and their years without a conference title likely go at least several years beyond that.
Nery Martinez and Carlos Ponicano-Diaz each added a score as Thomasville led 3-1 at halftime and answered as the Golden Eagles, who won the teams’ previous meeting, twice pulled within a goal following the initial flurry.
The Bulldogs scored in the fourth minute on a ball in front to Martinez and followed with another score in the seventh minute on a laser of a free kick from Vasquez to quickly build a 2-0 lead.
“That helped out a lot,” Staton said. “Getting going fast and then keeping that intensity and speed — that plays to our game. So that got us going.”
They led the rest of the way, despite East, which rallied to win 3-1 on Oct. 5 after also giving up the opening score, fighting to stay within reach.
“That’s the resilience,” Staton said. “We’ve been in tough situations like that. You just can’t get down. If we make a bad play, they score — but you can’t get down. You have to keep going. And that’s one thing we did — we kept going. They had some moments, and we just stood our ground.”
Noah Vinson, Carlos Estrada Morales and Edwin Romero scored for the Golden Eagles (17-3, 7-2), whose last CCC title came two years ago in a tie with Salisbury. Despite trailing early, East gave itself a chance into the final moments.
“We started slow,” Golden Eagles coach Jordan Beck said. “With teams that are as good as Thomasville, you can’t do that. They’re playing with a lot of energy, and we struggled to match that intensity to start the game. So that’s hopefully a lesson that we can learn from and build from.
“We have another game on Monday at home, so I’d like to end the regular season hot. At this point in the season, it’s about focusing on what’s ahead. Reflect on this game, learn from this. But understand that we have more soccer to play and let’s focus on what’s ahead of us.”
East’s Vinson scored in the 20th minute, and Thomasville’s Ponicano-Diaz answered in the 36th minute. Estrada Morales scored on a penalty kick in the 65th minute, but the Bulldogs’ responded with a free kick by Vasquez.
Romero scored from the right side in the 76th minute. And East had a couple last-ditch chances to tie in the final minutes. But Thomasville held on for its fifth straight win.
“If you’re going to lose to a team, lose to a team that’s playing well, and they’re playing well,” Beck said. “I don’t think they’d given up a goal in four or five matches. We came in and scored three, made it a game.
“We gave them a fight. It was a physical game, and this is what you’re going to see in playoffs. So it’s a good prep for that. There’s a reason both these teams are ranked as high as they’re ranked.”
Oscar Ortiz made four saves in goal for the Bulldogs, who finished with a 16-13 edge in shots. Connor Fouts made six saves for the Golden Eagles.
Both teams have one match remaining Monday — East will host last-place West Davidson, while Thomasville will visit third-place Providence Grove.