Blair boys' soccer falls to Einstein

On Sept. 29, the Blair varsity boys’ soccer team (2-3) lost 2-4 to Einstein (1-2-2) in a tough game. The Blazers played with confidence in the first half, maintaining possession and playing great defense. They secured themselves a 2-1 lead by halftime, with goals by seniors Delwende Ouedraugo and Will Castro. Unfortunately, those would be the final goals for the Blazers, as Einstein scored three times in the second half to secure the comeback win. 

Blair started off strong, moving the ball around well and keeping pressure on the Einstein defense. The Blair defense, led by senior Kidus Yigzaw, held strong, stopping the few shots on goal by Einstein. At one point in the first half, an Einstein striker beat the Blair goalie and took a shot from the corner, but Yigzaw stopped it at the last second to save a goal. 

With just over 20 minutes left in the half, Ouedraugo scored Blair’s first goal. Just a couple minutes later, Castro followed suit. Spirits were high and the Blazers momentum was up, but the Titans didn’t give up so easily. Einstein managed to score in the nick of time, putting the score at 2-1 Blair going into halftime.

Despite their strong start, the Blazers began to falter in the second half. A combination of fouls, exciting breakaways, and shots on goal from Einstein diminished Blair’s confidence, leading to a yellow card on senior Justin Hunil Lopez with a little over 30 minutes left in the half. Almost immediately after, the Titans scored their second goal. 

The Blazers kept pushing, but just weren't able to execute. Missed shots and passing miscommunications led to the Titans getting another goal with 15 minutes left. Blair fought to catch up, but Einstein’s defense held strong. Blair received a penalty kick with less than a minute left in the game, but it was blocked, leading to a final 2-4 loss.

Blair sophomore Hagen Hebisch attributed their loss to the team’s mentality, but expressed hope for the future. “I think after a couple of the goals, we kind of gave up. Our mentality wasn't great, but it's only one of our first games of the season,” Hebisch commented. “We're showing good groundwork that we can build from, and I'm confident that we have a good chance of winning future games and maybe even states with this team.” 

Blair head coach Allie Coyle was not available for comment. 

The Blazers’ next game will be against Kennedy on Monday, Oct. 5.