On a clear, blustery day on Dietz Field, the Vikings battled with pride through the final whistle. However, the home team proved too strong as the Bearcats garnered a 4-0 win to end Avery’s season.
In the first round match, played on a sized field and with goals more suited to U12 youth soccer, the Vikings fell behind early as a penalty kick was awarded to the Yellow Jackets and scored for a goal and 1-0 lead.
Midway through the first half, Avery’s Jorge Arreola dribbled along the right side and found teammate Daniel Lusk. The senior buried a shot into the back of the net to tie the match at 1-1.
In the 23rd minute, Avery struck again to take the lead as Lusk netted another ball along the left side. In the 26th minute, Lusk registered a hat trick with a goal that slipped past the keeper and into the goal, helping the Big Red to a 3-1 lead at intermission.
Neither team scored for most of the second half. Finally, in the 75th minute, the Vikings scored another insurance goal when Arreola assisted on a goal from Isauro Estrada to further pad the Viking advantage to 4-1.
Finally in the 78th minute, Avery closed out the scoring with one final score as Lusk followed a shot and scored his fourth goal of the match to provide for the final margin as Avery advanced to the second round of the state 1A playoffs.
“It took us a while to get moving, and I know the bus trip had something to do with it,” Avery head soccer coach Tom Evaul said after the win. “Maybe it was kind of a blessing in disguise that they scored the first goal, because I think that settled us down. It was what we needed in that it helped the guys realize this team was better than we thought and for us to win we had better come to play. My hat’s off to the Hayesville team. They fought hard and they didn’t quit.”
The victory was a true team effort as the Vikings worked as well together on the pitch as they have all season long.
“I know that Daniel will be credited a lot for the four goals, but I have to mention that Jorge played a phenomenal game. Sometimes it’s guys like that which nobody notices with their passes and placements that make the difference,” Evaul said. “If Jorge doesn’t have the game he has tonight, I don’t think we would have done what we did. Jorge and Isauro were both keys to the success that Daniel had up front tonight.”
For its second round opponent, Avery squared off with a familiar foe in the Hendersonville Bearcats, top-ranked and the defending state soccer champions.
The Bearcats broke the ice in the 18th minute with the first goal of the match. Throughout the contest, the teams had difficulty controlling the ball in the wind and played through temperatures in the low 40s for the duration of the contest.
In the 22nd minute, Hendersonville found the back of the net for the second time as it converted a corner kick that Avery was unable to clear at the front of the goal, staking the home team to a 2-0 halftime edge.
As the second half ensued, the Vikings looked to capitalize as the teams changed ends and Avery had the wind at its back.
Hendersonville added to its lead in the 54th minute when Bryan Aguirre managed to dribble past a defender and peal a shot past the Viking keeper for a three-goal margin. The Bearcats scored a final goal as a player scored on a kick while on the ground that rolled into the left side of the net for the final score of the contest.
“I think our problem today was that we were playing ‘kickie ball’ and not making passes to where they should have been or where they could have counted. I think we were so intimidated by their attack that we were just kicking it down the field, and it seemed they would get possession every time in that instance,” Evaul said after the match.
The match was physical throughout both halves, with the officials doling out multiple yellow cards, particularly in the second half.
“One thing we’ve learned this year is that if you don’t give tit for tat in a physical game, you get left behind. I think in that Owen game the guys decided we weren’t going to take it anymore. It was a rough game, and I think the referee started throwing out those yellow cards because he realized it was starting to get out of hand,” Evaul said. “Unfortunately some of those calls didn’t go as I’d like them to go. The roughness worked both ways and I think we played as rough as we’ve ever played. It’s not something I’m proud about, but I’m not out there on the field taking the pushes and shoves the players are taking, so you can’t blame them.”
Evaul shared great pride in this season’s roster and their effort from beginning to end, as well as the work of his fellow coaches..
“If you look back the first few games this season and the way we’re playing, this is a totally different team from then to now. These guys put their heart and soul into it and started playing as a team. They never gave up today, and even though it was a 4-0 game they kept playing hard because you never know what can happen,” Evaul said.
“I am really proud of this team’s spirit and determination. The leadership of the seniors was great this year. They worked hard individually and as a group in practice and in the games. And not to belittle the other coaches in any way, but I think Mitch Bledsoe brought a spirit to this team that had been missing for a long, long time. He won’t acknowledge that, but he made this team do some soul-searching, which they did. I think that had a lot to do with how the team played this year.”
The Vikings end the season with a 15-7-2 record overall, the team’s best record this millennium. Congratulations to the Avery boys soccer team for a great season!
