Blazers lose heartbreaker to Bulldogs

OCT 17, BLAZER STADIUM-

Blairs' boys varsity soccer team lost 1-0 today to an undermatched Churchill team before a devastated, and wet, crowd at home.

Churchill, the defending state champions, won off a goal that developed off a throw-in with 12 minutes left to play in the first half. The Blazers let the ball float around in the box and a Churchill midfielder got a foot on the ball to score on their only shot of the game.

According to co-captain senior sweeper Will Whitney, who played a great defensive game, the outcome should have been Blair's 9th victory of the season. "It felt like we won, that's how much better we played than they did," Whitney explains. "To outplay the state champions like that and not come out with a win is aggravating."

The ball seemed to have found a nice home at the Bulldogs' half of the field, as it stayed there for much of the game. However, due to Churchill's stingy defense Blair was shut out.

Blair's defense was also impressive with the addition of the speedy junior defenseman Yenikah Fon and the consistent play of senior defenseman Andrew Pomeroy. Blair's midfield helped out on defense by playing aggressive and by stopping the Churchill attack often before it was able to strike.

The loss may have been a disappointment to Blair fans, but the Blazers' play sheds some light on the season. "The level that we played at tonight really shows how much we're improving right now," senior Keith Larkin explains. "We've really stepped our game up. We could really do some damage if we could just finish the ball."

Ah yes, the infamous "F-word." That seems to be the one ingredient missing from Blair's recipe for success. Finishing. Soon as the Blazers learn this concept, we could be on our way to defending our state championship against Churchill.