PORT NECHES — Port Neches-Groves senior Koby Jones is off to a very hot start to the season.

Jones scored five goals Thursday in two games as the Indians won both matches at the PN-G Kickoff Classic. PN-G first defeated Liberty 7-1 and then took down Lancaster 3-0.

Jones had three goals against the Panthers and two more against the Tigers.

The Indians (2-0) were limited on depth Thursday, so by the end of the second match, coach Chad Luttrull’s PN-G squad was tired.

“It was tiring,” Jones said. “That first game we gave it all we had since it was the first game of the season. Second game we did went hard again because [Friday] we only have one game. We can rest with the late game.”

PN-G faces Langham Creek at 4:45 p.m. Friday.

Jones scored his first goal against Lancaster at the 29:40 mark off a rebound. Fellow senior Gunnar Nicholson fired a shot in that was deflected right back to the foot of Jones.

Jones, with 16 minutes left in the first half, scored again. This time it was from much farther out.

He took an assist from Mario Oceguera and fired the ball into the net from about 30 yards out to give PN-G a 2-0 lead. Colton Stone scored with 13 minutes remaining in the match to give the Indians a 3-0 advantage.

Senior goalkeeper Bryce Meche recorded his 48th career shutout in the victory. Meche is now 13 shutouts away from breaking the career high school record in Texas.

As it stands, Meche is third in the category and six away from taking second. He had five saves against the Tigers.

“It is good to overcome a little adversity early in the year,” Luttrull said. “That builds character with the team. I am real proud of the way the kids played. They fought through being tired and never complained. It is tough on young men to come out and play two games.

“We played a really good team out of the Dallas area [Lancaster], who is a really good possession team. We got some really nice goals from Koby early on.”

Jones’ hat trick led the Indians in the first win of the season, this one against Liberty.

Nicholson and Jose Acosta each scored twice for PN-G. Nicholson and Jones each had assists against the Panthers.

Meche had two saves against Liberty.

 

Alief Taylor 4, PA Memorial 1

PEARLAND — The Port Arthur Memorial Titans soccer team opened the 2016 season with a 4-1 loss to Alief Taylor at the Pearland-Pasadena Tournament.

Raul Estupinan scored the Titans’ (0-1) only goal with 28 seconds remaining in the first half off a corner kick. Taylor outshot Memorial 13-2.

Titans goalkeeper Arturo Villarreal had 11 saves.

Memorial faces Pasadena Dobie at noon Friday at the tournament.

 

Nederland boys go 0-1-1

PORT NECHES — The Nederland Bulldogs failed to grab a victory Thursday at the Port Neches-Groves Kickoff Classic.

The Bulldogs first tied Jasper 2-2. Travis Wiedenfeld and Jaime Moreno each had goals for Nederland.

Nederland then lost 3-1 to Houston Reagan. Moreno scored the Bulldogs lone goal.

The Bulldogs face Crosby at 6:30 p.m. Friday.

 

GIRLS

Nederland 12, Splendora 0

HUMBLE — The Nederland Lady Bulldogs put a 12-0 hurting on the Splendora Wildcats Thursday at the Humble tournament.

Meg Sheppard had four goals for Nederland (1-0) while teammate Abigail Gray finished with three goals.

Kennedy Kieschnick, Madison Ledet, Skylar Thomassie and Phoebe Short each had a goal.

The Lady Bulldogs face Baytown Sterling at 1:30 p.m. Friday.