It was just ten days ago that the sunny side of the bleachers at the Northwestern football field was nearly impossible to sit on as the 90-degree sun pelted the stacks of metal.
Tuesday there was no such thing as a sunny side of the bleachers. Cloud cover and visible breath inhabited the field as the Northwestern boys soccer team took on and beat the Pumas of Wise High School.
Bundled together in a tight formation, the Wildcats bench huddled close for warmth, watching intently and cheering sheepishly as forward Francisco Lopez scored the game's first goal in just the third minute of play.
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The bench on Tuesday was populated by a crew of everyday starters given the day off by Coach Nigel Trim, who expected somewhat lesser competition out of the Pumas than other teams that his squad has faced this season.
Northwestern (4-3) maintained its 1-0 lead until halftime. Just eight minutes into the second half, Lopez put in another goal, giving the Wildcats the 2-0 advantage.
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Wise responded two minutes later with a goal of their own, prompting Trim to insert seven would-be starters who had yet to play in the game. The mass substitution resulted in three goals over the following 20 minutes, the first from midfielder Adrian Resendiz, and the other two contributed by forward Christian Romero.
Romero's goal in the game's 75th minute made the score 5-1, where it stood for the rest of the game. Despite the lopsided win, Trim was hardly thrilled with his team's performance.
"There was miscommunication that allowed [Wise] to score," he said after the game. "That can't happen. Every goal that has been scored so far against us has been because of lack of concentration."
Trim also criticized his team's ball control and formation.
"The trapping is horrible. The spacing is still horrible," he said. "We're targeting one side of the field on offense. We don't even go to the left side, so it's predictable. That's what we need to work on right now."
While he certainly didn't hold back his criticisms, Trim also pointed out the positives from Tuesday's victory.
"I'm glad the subs came in and gave some good effort. I was pleased to see that. When the starters came in they started pushing the ball and passing the ball," he said.
The Wildcats will face two tough teams in Duval and Laurel over the next week.
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