Boys' soccer shows improvement in second half spectacular

In a game that saw a hat trick and five total goals, the Blazers won their second game in a row, beating Wheaton High School 5-0, and have come a long way from their disheartening opening loss to Einstein.

The first half was largely uneventful, save a messy own goal by Wheaton with Blair forward Keith Larkin, a junior, applying the pressure that caused Wheaton's defense to cave.

However, the Blazer boys exploded in the second half. Despite missed breakaway chances and hotly contested calls from the referees early in the half, Blair kept on coming, with forward Alieu Terry, a senior, scoring the first of his three goals with six minutes left in regulation to put the Blazers up 2-0.

Eight minutes later, in stoppage time, Blair struck again after a superb assist from midfielder Andrew Shoenfeld, a senior.

Then, with three minutes left in stoppage time Terry scored again. A minute later, he scored for a third time, completing his hat trick.

The Blazers showed remarkable improvement over their first two games. Despite scoring fewer goals than in their 6-4 victory over Paint Branch on Sept 9, the Blazers played more cohesively than they had against Einstein and Paint Branch.

"There was great improvement in the attitude on behalf of the kids," said Head Coach Adrian Baez. "The captains had a meeting and decided they needed more heart, and that's what we've seen tonight."

Said Terry, a captain, "It's all about intensity. We came out today to play hard and to win, and to give 100%," unlike the sometimes halfhearted efforts the Blazers showed in their opener.

Baez remarked that the midfielders communicated much better than they had in their previous outings. He also cited goalkeeper Lincoln Fisher, a senior, as playing an excellent game.