Late first half goals lift Carver over Charles City

Charles City goalie Miles Ragin (on ground) cradles the ball to prevent a shot attempt from Carver's Earl Hill.

Andre' Jones photo

For most of the first half, Charles City’s Panthers garnered numerous breaks due to errant shooting by the visiting Carver Academy Wolverines. But two goals by Earl Hill in the waning moments of the May 3 contest provided too large of a gap for the hosts to comeback from.

Earl Hill completed a hat trick in the first half along with assisting on another goal as Carver blanked Charles City 7-0 in the match.

Despite finding early breakaway opportunities, Carver was off the mark thanks to a combination of poor shooting and goaltending prowess by Panther keeper Miles Ragin. It wouldn’t be until the 22-minute mark when Hill would score his first goal. At the 30-minute mark, Hill’s cross-field pass to Santos Romero Vasquez extended the Wolverines lead to 2-0.

Charles City continued to keep the visitors in check, but with four minutes until halftime, Hill found the back of the net for a second time. Less than 30 seconds later, his third goal propelled the guests to a 4-0 lead at the break.

The Panthers received ample opportunities to score, but their kicks missed the mark. Meanwhile, two goals by Enoch Bullock and one by Iyosias Assefa accounted for the final scoring in the contest.

First year Panthers head coach Tom Holomon said his team’s effort was better and experience will be the key in future contests.

“We’re getting better and coming together, but today we just gave the ball away too many times,” Holomon said. “We have to learn to stay in our positions.

“Overall, this is the most complete game we’ve played all season,” the coach added. “We have a few more contests left and I’m hoping to end on a positive note.”

Charles City’s record falls to 2-8 on the season.