After a week in which both teams had no games and few practices, Roosevelt and Bowie met Thursday in an early 4A League boys soccer match-up, each with hopes of recovering lost time and returning to competitive form.

But it was evident in the play of both teams that last week's cancellations of games and practices due to the terrorist attacks had some negative effects.

Bowie pulled through however, and with two goals by Elisha Cortez and a solid performance in net by Matt Chartos, the Bulldogs defeated the visiting Raiders, 2-0.

Bowie, the defending Class 4A South Region champion and state finalist, defeated a young Suitland squad 10-0 Monday and looked to Thursday's match against Roosevelt as a chance to regain its form and lock players in positions.

Bulldogs coach Richard Kirkland said he was pleased with the win despite the inconsistency of the team's play.

``For the amount of time we had off, we did OK, but we need some work," Kirkland said. ``Our passing was scruffy and our timing wasn't there. Some of the expectations were met and there were some questions that were answered, but not all of them."

The Bulldogs (2-1) had early trouble with its transition and for about two-thirds of the game, Roosevelt, fueled by its aggressive presence in the midfield, maintained possession of the ball.

But Roosevelt did not capitalize offensively, even with early chances. The Raiders could not convert two early cornerkicks in the first half with Bowie's aggressive presence in the box. Shortly after, Roosevelt midfielder Marcus Brooks had a breakaway opportunity, but he was caught offsides on a short pass.

Bowie, however, made the most of the few opportunities it had. After spending most of the first half in its own zone, Bowie countered and took control late in the first half. Bowie forward Elisha Cortez took a pass from Kevin Elder from the right wing and beat Roosevelt goalkeeper Juan Vela on the far side post at 20:30 to make it 1-0 Bowie.

Continuing its offensive pressure, Bowie scored again six minutes later when Cortez scored from the left wing on a pass from Austin Morris, beating Vela again on the far side for a 2-0 lead.

Roosevelt (0-2) was looking to rebound from a Monday's 2-1 loss to Northwestern in which the Raiders could not make good on scoring chances, but saw much of the same result against the Bulldogs.

Raiders coach George Kallas said in both matches the Raiders could not penetrate their opponent's net because of the absence of a true striker. He added that his current front line consists of converted midfielders, who by nature will opt more to pass than shoot.

``We had a hard time getting shots off," Kallas said. ``We don't pull the trigger very well yet. But they played better [against Bowie] than against Northwestern."

Chartos recorded six saves for his first shutout of the season. His goose-egg was nearly shattered during a late rush by the Raiders, resulting in a shot from the left wing bouncing off the far side post.

Kirkland commended the play of Chartos and said the junior ``did extremely well and deserved the shutout."

The Bulldogs' defense was more effective in the second half, clearing most rebounds and putting traffic in the box. Cortez moved from forward to fullback and did well clearing the ball and moving it up the field.

Kallas and Kirkland commended the work of Roosevelt's midfield, which included Travis Gafford and Eric Williams.