Boys soccer levels Damascus, 7-0, in playoff win

After close wins against inferior opponents, doubters might have counted the Blair boys soccer team out in the playoffs, and maybe even against lowly Damascus. Springbrook might have been licking their chops, lying in wait for the Blazers. Well, not these Blazers. The team's talent shined bright on Oct 25 at Damascus, as they shut out the Swarmin' Hornets and lit them up for seven goals.

Interestingly enough, all of Blair's seven goals came in the second half. Junior Alieu Terry elevated the offense after a frustrating first half, scoring to put the Blazers up 1-0. The first goal set the stage for the blowout. Senior Donald Fon and Kodjo Gnatiko scored the next two goals quickly and deftly. Junior Franklin Alvarez scored next after junior Matt Poness set something akin to a screen to free him up, making it 4-0. Senior Sampson Geeplah had a great game, making exciting, careful plays on offense at critical moments. Junior Mike Piazza had two assists.

The game was so far out of Damascus' hands when Blair went up 4-0 that the Blazers switched in their deep reserves, but even that did not stop them from their romp. The play of the reserves was surprisingly good. Junior Justin Craver scored his second goal of the season, and two sophomores, Jimmy Hummani and Dennis Salgados, who were called up from JV for the playoffs to bolster the varsity lineup, scored the last two goals, making the final score 7-0. Senior defender William Zepeda joked, "Man, they're better than us," of the reserves' play.

Blair's offensive show was almost enough to make the defense seem less great than it is. Almost. Senior goalkeeper Eliot Stein had his second consecutive shutout and his fifth of the season. Though the Blair offense controlled most of the game, Stein was reliable, stopping the few dangerous scoring drives that did get to him. Senior defenders Zach Palmer and Zepeda had nice performances as well.