The Allen Community College Red Devils 4-2 victory in their home opener seemed closer in the scorebook than what took place on the field while hosting Crowder Wednesday.

The Allen Red Devils remain undefeated after taking their rain-soaked home opener 4-2 Wednesday.

After slogging through the first period with 1-1 tie, the Red Devils scored a trio of goals in the second period to pull away and improve their record to 3-0-1.

?It was good, but we gave up a few goals,? Allen coach Gefte Blanc said. ?Easy goals, but that?s OK. It?s something we can work on before we start conference.?

Both teams struggled to score until sophomore right wing Welile Mweli found the back of the net on an assist from sophomore defender Gonzalo Lopez at the 32-minute mark of the opening period. Undeterred, Crowder clawed back into contention with a goal from sophomore center Enzo Guigui with 8 minutes left in the first period.

?We did not even think we would get to play, so we enjoyed every moment of it,? Blanc said. ?Our guys all played well for the first 15 minutes. We missed a lot of passes also so we?re going to work on that, shooting and keep getting better every day.?

Allen ended the match on a 3-1 run on goals from sophomore defender Luthando Mdletshe and sophomore midfielder Saviola ?Savi? Blake. Mdletshe put Allen in the lead 12 minutes into the second period after hitting paydirt off an assist from sophomore defender Josh Hunte. A pair of consecutive goals by Savi secured the victory.

Blake?s first goal came at the 57-minute mark of the 90-minute match, giving the Red Devils a commanding lead. Savi scored for the Red Devils on another unassisted goal, this time coming via penalty kick at close range.

?We just have to keep working hard, working as a team and working with each other,? said Blake, who hopes good teamwork can propel them to victory Friday, when they face Tabor College.

Although handily defeating Crowder, Allen players and coaches believe the team has plenty to work on both as a whole and as individuals. Despite the win, sophomore goalkeeper Harry Patrick did not let Crowder?s last score leave his memory.

?The last goal, it was unfortunate, but it happens,? Patrick said. ?It was my mistake. I went straight for the ball. I?m happy we won today. We worked hard.?

Article and Photo Credit: Jimmy Potts