The Mathews High School varsity soccer team rebounded from a 2-0 shutout last Wednesday to the Essex Trojans to defeat another Northern Neck opponent on Friday, beating Lancaster on the Red Devils’ home turf, 4-1.

Last Wednesday, the Mathews Blue Devils traveled to Essex to play the Trojans in what started off as a highly competitive game. Neither team was able to get the upper hand until the 35th minute of the first half, with Essex scoring its first goal. The Blue Devils struggled to find balance in their new formation, later allowing a tough goal by the Trojans.

On Friday, the Blue Devils found themselves on the road once again, this time at Lancaster. Freshman Kevin Jenkins started off the game with his first varsity goal, a goal which set the momentum for the first part of the game. P.J. Johnson scored a header shortly after, also knocking heads with the opposing Red Devil defense.

Mathews became less aggressive and sat back on their heels for the rest of the first half, coming back into the second with some new energy. Sophomore Tim White scored his first varsity goal, with an assist from junior Jesse Sekatawa. The hype continued when Johnson came back into the game to score his second goal in the upper 90 towards the end of the second half.

Yesterday, the Blue Devils hosted the Trojans. On Friday, Mathews will host Lancaster, with the JV game starting at 6 p.m.