HENDERSONVILLE It took all of eight seconds for the Beech High boys soccer team to take a lead over visiting Merrol Hyde Magnet.
For the remainder of Tuesday evening’s contest at Nathan Johnson Stadium, the Buccaneers kept the Hawks silent, claiming a 5-0 victory in each team’s season opener.
Beech High senior Connor Starr (15) battles Merrol Hyde Magnet junior Connor Dunn for possession during first-half action. Starr scored a goal in the Buccaneers’ 5-0 victory.
Senior Adam Edwards provided the quick strike, finding the net almost immediately following the opening kickoff.
“It’s a great way to start the season,” Edwards said. “We decided – me and (freshman) Josh Street – that I was going to make that run (up the right side), and the (pass) was perfect. I got a touch, and the goal was open.”
The Hawks managed to avoid any further damage for the rest of the first half.
“That was a good start … eight seconds in, score a goal,” Beech head coach Jeremy Cooke said. “But we missed a penalty (kick) a couple of minutes later. We changed a few things at halftime, not personnel-wise, just the way we attacked.”
Beech scored less than four minutes into the second half as junior Lorenzo Huerta took a pass from senior Connor Starr off of a short corner kick and beat Hawk senior goalkeeper Nicolas Goldberg with a shot into the right side of the net.
Merrol Hyde Magnet junior Roldolfo Guzman (11) battles Beech freshman Josh Street for possession during first-half action.
“It really boils down to heart, plain and simple,” Hawk head coach Jim Carr said. “We had a goal scored on us, and we regathered. But, in the second half, they scored on us and that was it. They didn’t have the heart to pick themselves up and fix the problem.”
Over the next five minutes following Huerta’s goal, Beech tallied twice more. Sophomore Michael Barnard beat Goldberg with a header inside the left post in the 46th minute, and Starr drilled a low shot into the left corner three minutes later.
“It’s early in the season, but it tends to be those same pieces of instruction that we keep saying over and over again,” Carr said.
Junior Marshall Jaquis added the final Buccaneer goal in the 65th minute, converting off of a pass from freshman Alex Esser.
With only seven upperclassmen, Edwards said that the Buccaneers begin with an inexperienced club that needs its two seniors to provide support.
“With only two seniors on this team – me and Connor Starr – and it’s a very young team,” Edwards said. “We have to step up and play. I felt like I stepped up, and Connor stepped up. We proved to everyone that we’re no slouch coming up in the district.”
After visiting Brentwood on Thursday, the Buccaneers travel to Smyrna on Tuesday.
Merrol Hyde Magnet hosts Portland on Friday.
Reach Chris Brooks at cbrooks@tennessean.com or at 615-575-7118. Follow him on Twitter @CB_SumnerSports.