Boys soccer defeats University
photo by Peyton Sutch
Midfielder Brayden Seymour receiving the ball in the mid field. Seymour had to keep the ball with pressure on him.
20 minutes into the first half, the ball popped out to attacking midfielder Brett Beliech at the top of box; Beliech made perfect contact, and sliced right through the ball till it splashed in the back of the net, marking the first goal of his high school career. This flipped the switch and let the team score two more goals in the next five minutes
The boys varsity soccer team delivered a shutout game Friday despite nasty weather. After a tough loss to Lake Howell the Wednesday before, coach Micheal McAvoy told his team to go out and get a decisive win after a tough loss on Wednesday.
“Before the game he said, ‘Let’s make them regret driving out this far to play us.’ That really amped our team up,” center midfielder Evan Hurt said.
After looking at MaxPreps, McAvoy said that his team has played the toughest schedule in Florida, making all games more competitive due to the matchup of skill. Intense games throughout this season served as better preparation to defeat University this year.
In the first half, the team did well in passing and completing give and go plays. In the 20th minute, Beliech scored the game changing goal with a volley from just inside the 18-yard box.
“[Brett] hit the ball with such speed and finesse that the ball found the back of the net with ease. It was a fantastic goal and one that he will never forget,” Hurt said. “After that, we took control of the game including possession, midfield control, communication and physicality.”
In the next five minutes, outside back Andrew Alonso and midfielder Brayden Seymour scored, keeping University on their heels. Putting the pressure on allowed the midfield and forwards to connect passes, before the half ended midfielder Conor Mohre, and outside back Sonny Lou scored two more goals.
“Finishing our chances and securing a 5-0 advantage at halftime was huge,” McAvoy said.
A problem the team has noticed in most games this season has been between the midfielders and forwards easily getting past defenders but not finding the back of the net. They connect solid passes but struggle to put away chances in the attacking third. But this was not a problem Friday night, as the team scored a record number of goals on the season.
The intensity picked up after walking back on the field for the second half. As a team, the goal was to have high pressure and go directly to goal after winning the possession of the ball.
“Our passing became sloppier, but our team’s intensity and drive improved,” Hurt said. “We wanted the extra goals and chased down every 50/50 ball we could.”
Center forward, Randy McClean, was able to score the two lone goals in the second half to finish the shutout.
“We knew we had to win a couple more games to really secure the best spot possible in districts,” Beliech said. “This was a must win game for us and we went out and played like that.”
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