Cambridge Boys Varsity Soccer Downs North Springs 2-0, Friday, March 6th

Posted: Mar 10, 2015

Cambridge Bears Boys Varsity Soccer won in over-time 2-0 against region opponent, North Springs HS on Friday, March 6th.

Head Coach Bryan Wallace commented his team didn't meet his expectations in the first half. Feeling like North Springs might be an easy team to beat, Cambridge found themselves stalled with a 0-0 score at the half. With lots of shots on goal but none entering the net where it mattered, the Bears' offense found themselves dominating the field but unable to convert. Although striker Brett Stephens showed his usual standout footwork and Matthew Lakatos had his best game so far, scoring points eluded the Bears.

The rock-solid defense of seniors, John Barnabei, Zack Midulla, Clay Hammer and Avery Spaulding, kept NorthSprings from getting many shots on goal. Barnabei gave an all-out performance against a very fast and aggressive opponent. Midulla was always where he was needed, even surprising the other team with a self-made breakaway to take the ball all the way up the field for a cross pass. Hammer with an impressive stop, flipped the ball up and over, down his back and spun to make a perfect pass upfield. Spaulding 3 times attacked and stopped what looked like an otherwise easy shot on goal for the NorthSprings offense.

The second half also remained scoreless, however, Coach Wallace felt his team played with a better balance of urgency and patience. Aiming for players to take more accountability for their actions and do less finger pointing, the team was more cohesive in the second half. Mid-fielders Diego Zarate and Griffin Boone had some challenging match ups but stayed with the team's strategies. Several Bear goal shots bounced off the cross bars.

Coach Wallace injected a surprise spark of energy and ball handling into the offense in the form of senior John Shayne. Shayne, who is the regular starting goalie, brought a smart and aggressive level of play in to a stymied offense. Keeping that energy rolling into overtime, Shayne scored the first goal. He also attempted a second goal shot which was deflected but in the shuffle, it was kicked in for a goal by teammate Josh Winnett.

If one player can make a difference in the outcome of the game, whether it be mental or physical, or most likely both, that player should get recognition. In this game, Man of the Match recognition goes to the goalie and forward, John Shayne, for his defensive efforts and for scoring a game-winning goal.

This week's games:

Monday, March 9, at home against Woodland HS 8:30pm

Friday, March 15, at home against Kell HS 7:30pm

GO BEARS!