Jim Walker
jim.walker@irontontribune.com

PORTSMOUTH — So there’s our offense.
After relying on their defense most of the season, the South Point Pointers got their offense going as they beat the Portsmouth Trojans 8-1 in an Ohio Valley Conference soccer game on Thursday.
“Tonight, was a much-needed game for us from an offensive standpoint,” said Pointers’ coach Zach Jenkins. “We had been in a rut to score up until this week and we broke out of our shell a bit.
“Portsmouth is really inexperienced from a soccer standpoint in their second season of varsity, but to their credit they played really hard and they’re pretty athletic.”
South Point (3-3, 3-1) got the scoring underway quickly as Braylon Balandra scored two minutes into the game with an assist from Carmie McGuffin.
Three minutes later, Josh Helton made it 2-0 with an unassisted goal and Ryan Goodson scored with a Tyler Lilly assist at the 12-minute mark.
Lilly scored an unassisted goal at 31:00 and Isaiah Nease had another unassisted goal seven minutes later and it was 5-0 at the half.
“We were fortunate to jump ahead quickly and kind of coast through the second half,” said Jenkins.
South Point built an 8-0 lead in the second half as McGuffin had an unassisted goal five minutes into the half and Goodson scored two minutes later with an assist from Nease.
Matthew Allen scored at the 63-minute mark with Logan Southall getting the assist to cap the Pointers’ scoring.
The scores by Allen, Nease and Balandra were their first varsity goals.
Portsmouth avoided the shutout as Alonso Salinas got an unassisted goal with 72 minutes on the clock.
Goalkeeper Brody Blackwell had four saves for the Pointers.
Jaylind Thomas notched 12 saves and Richie Bowman four to place Portsmouth.
South Point hosts Russell on Saturday.
South Point 5 3 = 8
Portsmouth 0 1 = 1
First Half
SP — Braylon Balandra (Carmie McGuffin assist) 2:00
SP — Josh Helton (unassisted) 5:00
SP — Ryan Goodson (Tyler Lilly assist) 12:00
SP — Tyler Lilly (unassisted) 31:00
SP — Isaiah Nease (unassisted) 38:00
Second Half
SP — Carmie McGuffin (unassisted) 45:00
SP — Ryan Goodson (Isaiah Nease assist) 47:00
SP — Matthew Allen (Logan Southall assist) 63:00
Prt — Alonso Salinas (unassisted) 72:00
Saves: Brody Blackwell, South Point, 4; Jaylind Thomas, Portsmouth 12; Richie Bowman, Portsmouth, 4.
Corner kicks: South Point 11; Portsmouth 2