After seeing their 12-game winning streak snapped by Colombia on Saturday, the Niceville Eagles boys soccer team responded in emphatic fashion Tuesday night, defeating the Choctaw Indians 5-1 at Joe Etheredge Stadium.
Eagles Head Coach Wes Nelson praised his team’s response, calling it a crucial win as the squad prepares for postseason play.
- “It’s positive to see that we bounced back and played well. Hopefully it’s a game that gets us prepared,” Nelson said. “Choctaw’s always a strong side so it’s someone I like to play at the end of the season to get ready for playoffs.”
The night belonged to Pearson, who overcame an early injury scare to deliver a three-goal performance. Just four minutes into the match, Pearson was fouled by Choctaw goalkeeper Dominick Richards and briefly left the field. In his absence, Asher Nelson converted the ensuing penalty kick to give Niceville an early lead.
Pearson returned to the pitch minutes later and quickly made his presence felt. With six minutes left in the first half, he capitalized on a rebound to make it 2-0 heading into halftime.
The Eagles extended their lead early in the second half with a goal from Kaileb Wedderburn. Choctaw managed to pull one back after a Ryan Anger foul set up Malloy Hansen for a free kick goal, but Pearson responded with two more goals to complete his hat trick and put the game out of reach.
By the closing minutes, Pearson and several starters had already been substituted, their work for the night complete.
“He was just involved in everything. It was good to see him bounce back and not be seriously injured and his performance speaks volumes,” Nelson said. “He took advantage of his opportunities, put the ball away, and that’s what a striker does.”
Pearson credited his teammates for the dominant showing.
“Great team performance. We came out strong, passing the ball around, keeping our cool, not getting panicked at all, we played great,” he said.
The match also saw Anger leave with an injury, but the Eagles’ depth shone through.
- “We have a pretty deep team. We have guys ready to come off the bench if they’re not starting,” Nelson said. “It’s always good to see them do well. The level didn’t drop, and we were able to have a good start and a good finish.”
Pearson echoed the sentiment: “It feels great knowing that we have a team full of depth. If one man goes down another guy steps up. When Ryan got hurt another man came in and did just as good.”
Niceville (14-2-2) will close out the regular season at home Thursday night against Crestview. Choctaw (10-4-2) wraps up its regular season at home Friday night against Gulf Breeze.
