Undefeated Blazers continue to prove their mettle
In perhaps their finest performance of the season, the boys soccer team completely overwhelmed the Sherwood Warriors, winning 3-0 at Blazer Stadium. And it wasn't just that the Blazers crushed their opponents, outshining them and eclipsing their play in every way. What was impressive was the fact that the team played so well that they sucked the life out Sherwood, demoralizing them by the end of the game.
The team flexed its offensive muscle today. Senior forward Donald Fon had a breakout game. He simply could not be stopped. When he touched the ball, Sherwood defenders immediately had to back-peddle, lest they be embarrassed by his blistering speed. Senior midfielder Samson Geeplah and forward Kodjo Gnatiko flashed moments of brilliance. Junior midfielder Alieu Terry, though hampered by an injury, contributed greatly to the Blazer attack.
Many players, most of whom are not starters, were switched in at one period today, and they did not disappoint. Their play assuaged any fears that the team was only as deep as its starting lineup. As Coach Adrian Baez said in the postgame huddle, intensity "was coming from everyone."
Blair's first goal came early in the first half. Gnatiko crossed midfield, pressing forward, and expertly dealt the ball past two defenders to Geeplah, who blasted it past the charging Sherwood goalkeeper. The game was played at a taut pace, neither team really giving in to the other until the second half. At the beginning of the half, the Blazers looked flustered, and the defense, led by senior defender Zack Palmer and goalkeeper Eliot Stein, had to carry the team as it has many times before.
After early mistakes, the offense truly came together. Terry flew cleanly through defenders after receiving a perfect assist from Palmer and scored, and the Blazer offense ignited. Now Sherwood was on their heels, and they had trouble keeping up. Fon scored his second goal, this one on a great corner kick by junior Alex Piazza, and the game was in essence finished. Almost all the starters were switched out, but the offensive pressure did not stop. Piazza and other juniors like Akigal Williams and Matt Poness maintained the pressure that the senior starters left, a truly promising sign for next season.
On October 4, though, the Blazers are slated to play at home against Whitman High School, who will be a true test of the Blazer's might. The Whitman game will help prove the assertion Coach Baez made in the Washington Post: that the team is a "sleeping giant."
Max Brett. Max Brett is a senior at Blair, and is the Online Sports Editor and a staff writer for Silver Chips. His tireless efforts have helped the online section become what it is today. Just last year, he wrote a rap review the Saturday Evening Post … More »
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