The boys soccer team (5-4-1) played Oakridge Pioneers (8-6) on Monday on the Reservation.
The Braves started off the game with a motivation to take the Pioneers down. Junior Trevor Firkel booted the ball across field from a foul that the Pioneers picked up. Firkel’s kick immediately led to the first goal of the night by senior Emmanuel Ramirez, 1-0. With adrenaline running high, senior Austin Wendling without hesitation prevented the Pioneers from scoring. The boys quickly gained back possession of the ball and senior Jayze Elysee found an opening to score, making the score 2-0. With a couple minutes left in the first half, senior Tucker Schwartz drew a foul against a Pioneer, resulting in a goal by the Pioneers, 2-1. Junior goalie Matthew Cullen blocked a close goal attempted by the Pioneers.
Right before the half, with both teams scrambling for a goal and a couple turnovers by both teams, junior Zedy Adlam attempted a goal and missed by an inch. The defenders packed on enough pressure and as a result, the Pioneers did not score. At halftime, the score remained 2-1.
The second half of the game started slow, but the boys picked up the pace. The Pioneers put way more pressure offensively on Cullen. Despite this, Elysee managed to score his second goal of the night, 3-1.
Tempers flared toward the end of the game, costing Ramirez to receive a red card and be ejected from the game. With many more failed goal attempts, the boys were not able to score again ending the game 3-1.
The boys play the Olympia Titans (10-1-3) tomorrow at Olympia at 7:30 p.m.