Blazers out in first-round playoffs

OCT. 28, SHERWOOD--

At the end of the boys' varsity soccer game against Sherwood, senior co-captain Greg Breads covered his head with his jersey; senior co-captain Jack Eisen-Markowitz knelt to the ground; and senior Justin Hoy stood still. After playing their hearts out in an amazing 80 minutes of soccer, the whistle blew at the end of the game with the Blazers one goal behind Sherwood, knocking them out of playoffs in the first round, with a devastating 3-4 final score.

Much of the game found the Warriors and the Blazers evenly matched. Sherwood scored first, but the Blazers answered back with a goal of their own just minutes later, as was the case throughout the game. Each team had strong offensive speed, a solid midfield, good ball placement, hard shots and stalwart goalies in the net. Ultimately though, Sherwood generated one more goal than Blair, and thus generated one more win over Blair (their first was a 4-1 victory during the regular season).

To Breads, the loss represented the boys' performance this year as they had
repeatedly struggled to come up with victories against evenly matched
opponents. "That game defines our season," said Breads. "We were always
'almost there.'"

And tonight, for the loyal Blair fans who trekked out to Olney to watch the
game, it really did seem like the team was there. So matched in ability were the two teams that after a goal scored by Sherwood with 2:05 remaining in the
game, Eisen-Markowitz powered a shot into the Sherwood goal from the 30-
yard line 10 seconds later. Eisen-Markowitz's goal followed so closely that the Sherwood fans were still cheering for their goal when the ball hit the back of the net.

In the first half of play, the Blazers played an intense game. Breads and senior co-captain Yenika Fon who repeatedly stopped attempts by the Sherwood
offense anchored the defense; the midfield fought aggressively for balls in the air and on the ground, winning more than half of them; and the offense took solid and frequent shots on goal, a problem in other games this season.

The second half, however, had a much more bitter feel. In the half, three red cards were handed out, two to Sherwood players and one to a Blazer. On the field, each players from each team were called for repeated fouls, and the Sherwood fans turned sour, booing a number of calls made by the officials. By the time the game ended, heated words had been exchanged between players on the field and fans in the stands.

To Coach Adrian Baez, this game proved the strength of the Blazer squad
that he has coached since August. "[The boys'] showed their mettle today," said Baez. "I had never seen them play like this until today; it was their best performance."

The Blazers ended the regular season with a final record of 3-8-1.