Head coach John Silveira and the Bruins boys varsity soccer team rolled into town to play their first home game since October 5th, as the Illinois Valley Cougars made the trip to the coast to challenge the Bruins as the final games of the season come up on the schedule with post season play implications.
The Bruins took the field, already in over-drive and immediately ran on the Cougars who struggled early to keep up with the Bruins speed, especially up front. Early play in the first half had the Bruin defense pushing play into the Cougars half of the field creating fast break opportunities and shots in front of the Illinois Valley goal.
The Bruin offense attacked the heart of the Cougar interior defense, missing shots by inches and hitting the post at least three times in the first half, but it only took less than 10:00 minutes for Bruin junior striker, Tanner Anderson, #17, to get in a foot race behind the Cougar trap and put the ball behind the Illinois Valley keeper to take a 1-0 lead.
The Cougar defense tightened up, softening their trap to counter the Bruins speed up front, but Anderson again had different plans, and the relentless Bruins offensive pressure forced another fast break opportunity and Anderson found the back of the net once again less than 5:00 minutes later, extending the Bruins lead to 2-0.
The stunned Illinois Valley defense regrouped once again, tightening up play in their defensive middle, attacking the Bruins in the midfield, breaking up plays, running down loose balls and breaks down the outside, holding the Bruin offensive attack scoreless for the rest of the first half.
As the second half got underway, the Cougars picked up where they left off in first half, continuing to disrupt the Bruins in transition, blocking goals in front of the net as well as creating some quality offensive opportunities on front of Bruin keeper RJ Hendrix, looking to record another clean sheet.
The Illinois Valley counter would hold the Bruin offense at bay for most of the second half as the Bruin shooters struggled to convert shot opportunities in front of the Cougar goal. But they could only keep the Bruins from the scoreboard until Bruin sophomore forward Neric Garcia, #7, found the net at the 56:00 minute mark, essentially putting the game out of reach for the Cougars. The Bruins would go on to take the 3-0 win, with their final games of the regular season on the horizon.
“Our athletes put a lot of work in during pre-season continuing to build on the foundation they started to develop during last season. coach Silveria said after the game. “As a coach, the rankings are something my staff and I keep a close eye on all season,” he continued, “and where we land on the list is still dependent on our last couple of regular season games. We’re looking forward to the challenges ahead and hopeful for a good playoff run.”
The Bruins will be back on the field this Saturday, at home against a formidable St. Mary’s Crusader team with kick-off scheduled at 2:00pm.
