George Jenkins stays alive with win over New Smyrna Beach

LAKELAND — Now that George Jenkins has its full boys soccer team together, the Eagles are intent on showing that they are a better team than their record shows.

They certainly achieved that goal Saturday night with a 2-1 victory over New Smyrna Beach in the Class 6A, Region 3 semifinals.

The win improves Jenkins’ season record to 6-9-2. That’s a bit deceiving, said head coach Tanner Mosher, who pointed out that the Eagles never had their full team together throughout the regular season because of injuries and Covid-19 quarantines.

“I never thought our record was a reflection of our team and our level,” Mosher said. “We had a lot of bad luck. To overcome that, to get everybody back from quarantine, from injuries, from everything at the right time, and get everyone to buy in, they’ve banded together at the right time.”

With the victory, George Jenkins advanced to the regional finals on Tuesday night. The Eagles will travel to Viera, which defeated Plant City Saturday night.

To earn Saturday night’s win, Jenkins rallied from an early 1-0 deficit to take a 2-1 halftime lead then relied on strong team defensive play in the second half, and especially in the final 10 minutes, to preserve the victory.

“It was outstanding,” Mosher said about his defense. “They (New Smyrna Beach) were a well-coached team. They found the channels and tried to unbalance us. But man, did we defend so, so well in the open areas and on the crosses, and I can’t tell you how many shots we blocked.”

The Eagles turned away at least a dozen shots in the final 10 minutes including a pair of big saves by goalkeeper Zachary Knapp.

Senior forward Chase Moore, who scored the go-ahead goal just before halftime, moved back to be part of that defense down the stretch.

“They were coming after us, they were a good team,” he said. “We just put our hearts on the field and went all in.”

The Barracudas (13-5-4) took a quick 1-0 lead two minutes into the game on a goal by River Beerman, but that was it for their scoring.

Antonio Norton tied it for Jenkins scoring off a crossing pass from Justin Franco with 11:15 left in the half.

Moore then scored what turned out to be the game winner in the final minute of the first half, taking a long pass from William Durrance and putting the ball in the back of the net.

“It was a team effort, from the long shot from Will and the back line putting pressure on them,” Moore said. “It wasn’t just me, it was a team effort and I put it in the back of the net.”

And so, Jenkins’ postseason run after a 2-9-2 regular season will continue.

“It feels great,” Moore said. “At the beginning of the season, we never had a complete team. We’ve come together at the right time, and I’ve never had a team with more heart on the field than this team tonight.”