Six games into the season, the boys soccer team has had a little bit of everything. From a season-opening tie against Oviedo, to a frustrating loss against Seminole, and even a 3-0 shutout of the Masters Academy, the team stands at 2-2-2.
“I think our team this year is very similar to that of last year,” left back Will Carr said. “Both years we have had very slow starts, but I’m hoping that much like last year, we pick it up toward the end and start winning more. We really just need to score more goals.”
The defense has been solid, with three shutouts in six games, but the offense at times has struggled. The team has scored seven goals in six games, that includes three against Masters, the most dominant game of the season so far.
“I knew we were the better team going into it, but we still had to play at high intensity,” center back Carter Bruno said. “We moved the ball and created many chances to score and kept them from scoring.”
Senior Brett Beliech scored the first goal of the Dec. 6 game on a penalty kick, with striker Daniel Erazo scoring two goals after.
Our team has a lot more chemistry and can play together better this season. While we definitely miss some heavy hitters and big goal scorers, our season is bright and has been one of my favorite teams ever.
— Carter Bruno, center back
Still, against top district teams like Seminole, a 3-0 loss on Dec. 1, controlling the ball and finishing offensive chances continues to be a priority.
“The game against Seminole was really difficult mainly because the players in Seminole were really good and they had really good movement of the ball,” midfielder Gabriel Gonzalez said. “We found it really hard to defend, and we did not go into the game with the correct mindset.”
The team played better against Lake Brantley, another of the district’s top teams, but came up short with a 2-1 loss. Carr scored his first career goal for Hagerty, lifting the team’s spirits.
“I think that was our best team performance so far,” Carr said. “We passed the ball extremely well and everyone was on the same page.”
The senior-heavy team will look to finish scoring chances and ultimately win more games heading into the heart of the season, trying to improve on last year’s 5-7-2 record. However, since last season started 0-4-1, the team feels ahead of where they were this time last year.
“Our team has a lot more chemistry and can play together better this season,” Bruno said. “While we definitely miss some heavy hitters and big goal scorers, our season is bright and has been one of my favorite teams ever.”
