The Roanoke Rapids Yellow Jackets men's soccer team hosted the Warren County Eagles at Hoyle fields on the Jackets senior night.
The Yellow Jackets shutout the Eagles 9-0 with the game called with 17 minutes to go due to the slaughter rule.
Roanoke Rapids goals were by: hat tricks by Osbaldo Gonzalez and Tyler Shearin with 3 goals each, Eulices Pineda 1, Tyler Smith 1, Markus Chappell 1
Roanoke Rapids goals were assists by: Osbaldo Gonzalez 1, Tyler Smith 1, Markus Chappell 1, Carson Neal 3
AJ Pearson had 6 saves in goal.
Post match comments from Roanoke Rapids head coach Craig Jean, "It was nice to have a senior night with a game that they could have some fun with. For the majority of this year, other than the past few games, we have had a lot of fun. It was nice to be able to get back to that tonight. My seniors understood that there was a good chance that this was their last home game ever. They all came out and had dominating performances. I am excited that Osbaldo Gonzalez had a big game. He scored the first 3 goals very quickly- the first was 46 seconds into the game. Osbaldo and Tyler Shearin both showed what they are capable of by scoring 3 goals each. I hope it gives them confidence that carries over into the playoffs. We didn't plan to come out and just let our seniors score, but it happened that way. Carson Neal had a couple of point blank goals that he could have finished with ease, but he unselfishly layed off for a senior to finish. This says a lot about the closeness of this team. Everyone got some run tonight and every player showed growth from where they were at the beginning of the year. AJ Pearson played all but the first 4 minutes and kept a clean sheet and did a good job. I could go on and on about what a good group of kids this is, especially my seniors. I am extremely proud of how far we have come in a year's time and I am thankful for my seniors' leadership. We have 1 more road game before the playoffs against Bunn, who tonight took sole possession of 1st place in our conference. It is a big game that we will be ready for."
Roanoke Rapids Yellow Jackets 2016 seniors
Markus Chappell- #9- Son of Tiffaney and Jake Crowe. This is Markus' 4th year on the yellow jackets soccer team and he has served as one of the captains for this season. So far this season he has 4 goals and 10 assists. He received the award for Best Defensive Player in 2015 voted on by his teammates.
Osbaldo Gonzalez-#16- Son of Norma Velazquez. This is his second year playing soccer. He has 3 goals and 2 assists so far this season.
Eulices Pineda- #2- Son of Lucia Cruz. This is his 3rd year playing for the yellow jackets and his 2nd year serving as a team captain. He has 4 goals so far this season. He was voted Northern Carolina 2A All Conference and team MVP in 2015.
Tyler Shearin-#22- Son of Kevin Shearin and Lyndy Rook and aunt Kelly Hux. This is Tyler's 1st year playing for the yellow jackets. He has 6 goals and 1 assist so far this season.
Tyler Smith-#12- Son of Timmy Smith and Jennifer Pardue. This is his 4th year on the yellow jackets soccer team. So far this season he has 3 goals and 2 assists.
The Yellow Jackets soccer team would like to thank the parents and family members of all the seniors as well as the entire team for their dedication and support. Also a big thanks to Randy Wrenn and RRSpin for complete coverage of all their games.