The undefeated U-32 boys soccer team were handed a loss in their 2013 matchup with Peoples Academy, but two quick goals at the start put the 2014 rematch out of reach in their non-divisional matchup. Seamus Beall and the Raiders scored just two minutes in and didn’t look back, firing 18 shots on goal en route to a 2-0 blanking of the Wolves.
“We got kind of complacent after the first couple,” U-32 coach Steve Towne said of his teams play after the two quick goals, the second scored by Nik Killoran. “The last 15-20 minutes of the half, we lost the posession and didn’t get the scoring opportunities we were hoping for. The number of shots on goal were not close to as many as we had in the second half.”
Despite firing less shots during the first 40 minutes then the next, U-32 still managed to keep the pressure on the Wolves. However, Peoples keeper Aldan Coles was their almost every time. Coles was kept very busy throughout the game, as 17 Raider shots found the target, only Beall and Killoran managed to evade the well-positioned keeper.
Sporting a mohawk like many of his teammates, Coles thwarted four attempts within eight yards, absorbing well-struck shots from Russell Johnson, Beall and many other Raiders. U-32 couldn’t seem to put the ball around the vibrantly-orange dressed goalie, as he managed to leap, dive and just stop shot after shot.
“We hit the goalie four times,” Towne said of his team’s inability to get it past him from short range. “He had some good saves but we didn’t find the net. We had four opportunities and we found the goalie instead of the netting.”
Ultimately, however, the only thing Coles couldn’t save was the day. Beall, after receiving a well-placed pass from Ohan Fillbach just outside the penalty box, sent a bullet screaming into the upper right of the net. Coles was frozen by the unexpected and beautifully-executed shot from the sophomore.
Just 11 minutes later, U-32 capped their scoring off of a rebound. After Coles deflected a well-struck shot from Fillbach at point-blank range following a leading pass from Beall, Killoran swooped in and sent the caroming rebound flying into the back of the net. The goalkeepers efforts throughout the rest of the game allowed it to remain close, but the Wolves offense was helpless. They managed just three shots on goal, with only one a serious scoring chance.
With six minutes remaining in the match, Peoples forwards Huxley Lawon and Cameron Kelley as well as U-32 keeper Mackinley Shaffer converged on a through ball. Shaffer came up with the ball, making an excellent sliding save while knocking Kelley temporarily out of the game as he was shaken up. It was one of two saves for the sophomore, while junior Derek Cote recorded one in the first half.
“Seamus (Beall), Drew (Hepburn) and Ohan (Fillbach) were just able to shut down their mids down and play forward out of there,” Towne said. “Nik (Killoran) played really well out here on the right in the second half, we had possession there for a good part. He was a scoring threat. ”
The Raiders improved to 7-0-1. They’re tied with Rice for the most wins in the division at seven. The Green Knights, however, hold an edge for the No. 1 seed in terms of the VPA’s Average Index Points.
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