On Monday, Sept. 22, the Bruins men’s soccer team looked to gain a second consecutive win in their game against the Palm Beach Atlantic Sailfish, but despite good effort, a 7-0 loss awaited the Bruins at the final whistle.
Within 30 seconds, a precedent was set for the entire game when the Sailfish flew by the Bruins defense and placed a shot on goal that barely missed. The initial attack was followed up two minutes later by another run, pass and deflection right into the Bruins goal.
Four minutes into the game, Palm Beach placed a corner kick right in front of the box. A shot by the Sailfish ricocheted off the defense and into the top of the net. These early goals energized the opponents and placed pressure on the Bruins to step up their game.
Despite occasional ventures into Sailfish waters, the Bruins had a hard time wrestling away control of the ball. Constant communication and pinpoint passing allowed the visitors to open up multiple scoring opportunities. With 24 minutes left in the half, a header by the Sailfish bumped the score to 3-0.
The Bruins stepped up their offensive game and managed to put pressure on the Sailfish, even getting a close shot off. However, Palm Beach always succeeded in stealing back control.
After a nearly 10-minute scoring drought, the Sailfish broke away from the defense, slipped past senior goalie Joseph Wooster and dribbled the ball into the back of the net. Less than three minutes later, a shot from just outside the 18-yard line broke the plane, making the score 5-0.
With less than seven minutes remaining in the first period, the Sailfish scored yet again to set the halftime score at 6-0.
The second half was a much different match. The Bruins took the field as a more focused and united team, ready to make an effort in an uphill battle. Working cohesively on both defense and offense, they kept the Sailfish at bay for most of the game. The seventh goal occurred at the 80-minute mark, as the Sailfish put their final stamp on the night’s match.
Placed on the field early in the game, Freshman Marvell Lareche remarked, “We could have come out, played better and played our game to compete with them. I don’t think we’re that bad of a team to lose 7-0. But we’re a young team, and we’re still learning. As a team, I feel like we came out with fear. But that’s a wrong response. We should always come out focused and prepared.”
Lareche also mentioned that he and the other players look for areas of improvement from the bench so that they can implement that progress on the field. The Bruins look to bounce back Friday as they take on the Clearwater Cougars at home.
