Beech High sophomore Hunter Rocha dribbles away of his own end during first-half action.
HENDERSONVILLE Fans had not stopped cheering after the first goal from Hendersonville High’s boys soccer team before the Commandos gave them a reason to get louder on senior night.
Hendersonville High senior Darius Campbell and Beech freshman Josh Street (4) collide while battling for a 50-50 ball during first-half action. Campbell scored a goal in the Commandos’ 4-1 victory.
Hendersonville scored twice over a 15-second span early in the first half en route to a 4-1 victory over visiting Beech on Thursday evening at Drakes Creek Park’s Field of Dreams.
Senior Cole Egan converted on a 20-yard free kick with 7:27 left in the first half. Then, senior Reed Coffman found the net with 7:12 remaining to give the Commandos (9-5-2 overall, 4-1 in District 9-AAA) a two-goal lead.
Hendersonville High senior Lawson Stewart gains possession during first-half action.
“We knew that when the first goal went in, it’d be easier to come back and get more goals,” Coffman said. “I was just fortunate to get a good cross from (senior) Ethan Salley and get a foot on it.”
It was a familiar refrain for Beech (4-8, 2-4) as the Buccaneers had two quick scores against them in last Friday’s 3-0 loss at Gallatin.
“A matter of 30 seconds determined this game,” Beech head coach Jeremy Cooke said. “We’ve got to be able to understand that if we get goals scored on us, we’ve got to battle back instead of playing back on our heels.”
Senior Darius Campbell took advantage of a rebound near the left post with 4:26 left in the first half as the Commandos held a 3-0 edge at halftime.
Hendersonville High junior Ryan Von Mann dribbles away from Beech sophomore Michael Barnard during first-half action.
Senior Owen Kalada gave Hendersonville a 4-0 lead just 1:41 into the second half.
Beech senior Connor Starr ended the Commandos’ shutout bid by converting with 11:46 remaining.
Reach Chris Brooks at cbrooks@tennessean.com or at 615-575-7118. Follow him on Twitter @CB_SumnerSports.