Bishop Blanchet’s Boys Soccer beat Eastside Catholic 2-1, in a thrilling comeback Friday evening.
The two Metro League soccer powerhouses faced each other earlier in the week, ending in a stalemate. On Friday night, the Bears and Crusaders alike sought to break the draw and walk away victorious.
In the dying minutes, the game was tied 1-1, when the Bears were awarded a corner kick. They passed it short, to their senior captain, Makana Brouns-Prince. Brouns-Prince took the ball around a Crusader defender and curled the ball perfectly into the top left corner. The Bears rejoiced as they celebrated the screamer, and the Crusaders were left looking shell-shocked by the late winner.
Eastside Catholic was missing some big names in this tide turning face off due to injury, including star defender, Eddie Davis, and top goal scorer, Cade Boehl. Blanchet was ready to capitalize on this advantage.
The game started off fast, as both teams wanted to get an early goal to set them up for success. The Bears dominated possession and got their attack going, but a few big saves from sophomore goalkeeper, Gunnar Dark, kept the Crusaders in the game.
Bishop Blanchet kept up a fierce offense, while the Crusaders continued to stay strong defensively throughout the first half an hour of the game. In a sudden turn of events, Eastside capitalized on a foul as midfielder, Nik Tsitsis, guided the ball into the back of the net against the run of play.
The rest of the first half continued at a similar rate, the Bears stayed persistent, and the Crusaders stayed strong at the back. Eastside Catholic took a 1-0 lead into the half.
The Crusaders came out of half-time anew, making big plays in the midfield and dominating the possession. Until the 65th minute, when the Blanchet sophomore, Jack Healy, got his head on a cross and tied the game 1-1. The Bears home crowd erupted, and the momentum made a drastic shift in Blanchet’s favor.
It was a massive blow to the Crusaders, and the Bears kept the pressure on, seeking to take the lead. Finally they managed to do so in the final minutes of the game, causing Bishop Blanchet to seal the win 2-1.
As a result, the Bears remain undefeated. Their win over the Crusaders knocked-off the only other team previously holding the title. As the Crusaders seek to rebound, against Ingraham on Monday, Bishop Blanchet hopes to continue their undefeated run against Cleveland, which is coming into the Monday matchup at a dismal 1-7. Bishop Blanchet will seek to continue their undefeated run and will push for their regular season success to translate into a deep state playoff run.
