Blair boys' varsity soccer prevails against Clarksburg

On Monday Oct. 18, Blair's boys' varsity soccer team (3-2-2) defeated the Clarksburg Coyotes (0-7-2) in a relatively slow-paced 1-0 game. 

Both teams started the night out with a slow pace, and with fruitless maneuvers and hasty shots, neither side's offense was able to dominate possession. However, with both teams' skillful defense of tactful blocks and passes, the other team could not get within scoring range of the goal.

20 minutes into the game, the Blazers started putting their best foot forward. Sophomore midfielder Oscar Rivas took this opportunity to assist and cross the ball to senior striker Hernan Guzman-Vasquez, giving him a chance to volley the ball into the goal box. However, Clarksburg's goalie reached out and blocked the ball, demonstrating excellent skill. 

The Blazers' fiery spirit was not dampened. Just a couple minutes later, Rivas passed the ball and, with senior captain Christian Johnson dummying, senior midfielder Dalton Reyes attempted to shoot the ball. Again, the Coyotes' goalie prevailed and saved the goal. 

Into the second half of the game, the Blazers took their previous trail of energy and blazed with it, dominating possession and taking multiple shots at the goal. Midfielder and captain Alexander Hernandez led Blair's offense by maneuvering through the Coyotes' defense and providing his teammates with opportunities to score by passing the ball. His plays left the audience hanging onto the edge of their seats and cheering for their teams as tensions rose. With only 12 minute remaining in the second half, Guzman-Vasquez attempted to score by half-volleying the ball into the goal. Again, the Clarksburg goalie dove to the ground and hit it out. 

Despite attempts from the Blazers and Coyotes, the match carried over into overtime with a score of 0-0. However, less than a minute into overtime, Blair pulled ahead and seized their opportunity to score. After a clean assist from midfield captain Muller Torontow, Reyes weaved through Clarksburg's defense and gracefully arched the ball past the goalie to score. The crowd erupted in applause for Blair's win. 

At the end of the match, the team reflected on their plays of the night. Many were pleased that they won, but even so, some were not exceptionally happy with their performance, including Reyes, the winning goal-scorer of the night. However, every opportunity is a chance for a lesson. "Overall, we got the result we wanted… but we could've done better. There's always room for improvement. We definitely could have gotten the ball a bit more and just not forcing it in the final third and finishing," he commented. 

The Blazers will play their next home game on Friday, Oct. 22 at 7:15 against the Northwest Jaguars.