Eduardo Bonafacio had two goals for West Brunswick.
(Shallotte Area Sports Photo/W.A. Myatt)
Soccer matches can sometimes be a tale of two halves. For host West Brunswick on Wednesday evening, the second half was a tale they’ll want to repeat over the course of the season.
Despite numerous opportunities and control of possession in the first half, West was unable to get the ball in the net.
“I think the first half they just started off really slow – even from kickoff they just didn’t have the same energy as the day before in our 3-1 win over Heide Trask (Tuesday),” said Trojans coach Anthony Tapia. “At halftime, it really was just getting them fired up and giving them more motivation. It wasn’t really much on the lineup or tactical side, but just getting the boys motivated.”
Tapia found the right buttons to push as the Trojans came out and scored twice within the first five minutes of the second half.
Sophomore striker Eduardo Bonafacio scored both. The first came off a free kick assist from Sam Sellers. Bonafacio quickly found the net again off a long through ball from Irving Decena.
With the win, West moved to 2-1 on the year. The visiting Wolfpack fell to 0-3-1.
WBHS has three matches slated for next week, The Trojans visit South Columbus on Tuesday at 5 p.m. West hosts South Brunswick on Wednesday at 6 p.m. and travels to Whiteville on Thursday for a 6:30 p.m. start.
With the 2025-2026 NCHSAA classification and conference realignment, South Brunswick is now a nonconference opponent, with the Cougars competing at the 5-A level.
Tapia emphasized that even though the conferences and classes have changed, the importance of playing South remains the same.
“Even if it’s nonconference, there’s still a rivalry there, of course — and we want to win,” he said.
Sam Sellers assisted on the first goal on Wednesday.
(Shallotte Area Sports Photo/W.A. Myatt)
