Aaron Moore pitched a shutout for the Jackets with help from Justin Fuselier, Seth Gary, Jacob Leleux and Quentin Labiche, who all played well defensively, NISH coach Kevin Hardy said. New Iberia allowed only four shots.
The Jackets opened the scoring at the nine-minute mark when Andrew Landry netted a long range shot. The second goal came off the foot of Zach Escuriex, who found the back of the Tor net when a deflected ball came to him in front of the goal.
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“The goals were all quality, especially Andrew’s,” said Hardy. “We are not getting a lot of shots, but when we get a chance we usually put the ball on frame. We have not been as errant as we were in the past.
Hardy said it looked like the Tors lost a few key players. NISH also lost 13 seniors from last year’s squad.
“We did not play particularly well, but we got the job done,” he said. “I was not sure what to expect from Sulphur. Last year they were very tough for us. We tied them and then defeated them in double overtime in the Showcase Tournament.
“We were able to possess the ball a good bit of the time. The problem was sometimes our passes or our controls were a little off. We are making good decisions and communicating well, but the execution is sometimes off. I like what I am seeing so far.”
While his coaching staff was not thrilled with the performance, Hardy said that having a team with the ability to keep possession the way NISH did Saturday would have been unheard of only a few years ago for the program.
“We have come a long way from the days when we were the ones who seldom strung together even a few passes and spent the whole game chasing the other team,” Hardy said. “I am often amazed at what these boys can do compared to my early teams. It’s a testimony to the quality of soccer being played in the Iberia Soccer Association. The kids are playing at an earlier age and getting good coaching and good competition. ISA is achieving one of its purposes which is to be a feeder into the high school programs.
The NISH junior varsity won 4-0 behind two goals by Sebastian Ruiz and singles by Gabriel Hernandez and Blake Gary.
New Iberia plays at Catholic High at 7 p.m. Tuesday.


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