On Tuesday night, Manual boys’ varsity soccer matched up against Fairdale. After gaining an early lead, the Crimsons held on and came out on top with a final score of 4-1.
First Half:
Early on, both teams struggled to score, each missing a corner kick.
At the 24-minute mark of the first half, Manual midfielder Ibrahim Piracha (#10,11) scored the first goal of the evening.
This goal was followed by two saves from Manual goalkeeper Gavin Fulton (#8,11).
“The beginning of the game, it was very good,” Manual head coach Mike Hayes said about the team’s energy.
With 14 minutes left in the half, Manual subbed in Kyle Mertz (#16, 11) and Rhyse Johnston (#6, 11).
Three minutes later, Benson Green (#28,10) took a shot but missed. However, it was quickly followed up with a goal by Nolan Stevens (#12, 11).
“We moved the ball pretty well,” Stevens said.
The half came to a close with another save from Fulton and a goal from Piracha, his second of the night. The score was 3-0 heading into the half.
Second Half:
Both teams were held scoreless for most of the second half; however, Manual held possession of the ball for a majority of the half.
Shots from Mertz and Priacha were near misses, and Fairdale failed to score on several corner kicks.
Around the 23-minute mark, Manual starters began exiting the game as William Mahan (#2, 11), Kevin Lin (#26, 12) and Aidan Brockman (#13, 11) subbed in.
Fulton had two more saves and Fairdale missed a corner kick with 15 minutes remaining.
With six minutes left, Semir Siljkovic (#7, 10) scored Fairdale’s first goal of the night, bringing the score to 3-1.
In the last minute of the game, Manual took a corner kick which led to the final goal, scored by Stevens.
The final score was 4-1 with the Crimsons emerging on top.
“I thought we played pretty well. I thought we were able to distribute well, but I think our biggest mistake is playing in front of the goal, and that’s what led to our only goal against us,” said Fulton, speaking on the team’s performance as a whole.
The Crimsons face off at home against Bulter tomorrow night at 7:30 pm.
