The playoffs are that time of the soccer season that resembles a country music song with its combination of happiness and it’s heartbreak.
Saturday’s quarter final match between the Bruins and Madras had it all, offense, defense, great play, costly mistakes and lucky bounces.
Again, as has become their trademark, Coach Beaman brought out a mentally prepared group of young men who would start the game with their foot on the gas pedal and pressed to the floor. The Bruins wasted no time getting on the board against a Madras team that got to the post season on the back of high scoring and defense.
The Bruins worked the ball up the sideline early on and would be fouled about 10 yards outside the penalty box. Junior forward Luke Beaman #13, would take the ensuing direct free kick and place a ball just outside the goal box. An opportunistic senior midfielder Izaiha Bruce #4 swept into the area to collect up the loose ball and put it in the back of the net just 5 minutes into the contest.
The goal and it’s timing so early in game seemed to stun Madras, who had not allowed a goal in their last 6 games and had only allowed 4 goals total on the season.
The remainder of the first half would turn into a midfield possession game as the two evenly matched teams fought for control of both the ball and the clock. Again, as we have seen all season long, the Bruins are not just an offensive threat, they are a very good defensive team. They surrounded Madras at every turn and made it difficult for the White Buffalo’s to hold onto the ball. This tactic forced Madras to get rid of the ball quicker than they were used to, neutralizing their game of individual ball skills and holding onto possessions.
Both teams had limited chances in front of each others goal before the first half would end with the Bruins taking a 1-0 lead into the break.
Although the second half would start off much the same as the first, it would feature a much different style of play overall before it would be over.
Again the Bruins would strike quickly as they worked the ball into the left side of the Madras defense. Senior forward #3 Ryan Botnen,
who had perhaps his best performance of the year, kept the ball alive in front of the Madras goal serving up a well placed ball to Junior striker Luke Beaman #13. Beaman, the Bruins top scorer on the year would not miss, beating the Madras keeper to the lower left corner of the net with a beautifully struck ball.
Madras, now finding themselves down by two goals in the second half, mounted a furious and aggressive style of play. They began to physically challenge the Bruins who’s size and maturity would prove to be too much for the White Buffalo’s to overcome.
Izaiha Bruce would get off a shot just a few minutes after the earlier Beaman score, only to have it hit the crossbar, bounce straight down on the goal line and be cleared out by a now very physical Madras team.
The Madras team gallantly challenged all loose balls and clearly changed their first half tactic of dribbling to the goal face before shooting, to taking hard outside shots from the perimeter of the penalty box. The White Buffalo’s would manage several hard outside shots only to be unlucky hitting the crossbar twice and the side post once as the Bruin keeper senior Jaime Cruz cleaned up all rebounds and loose balls.
However, it was the Bruins defense that was the star of this game. Led by senior middle defender Sy Sirchuck #2, #15 senior defender Michael Kreger, junior defender Austin Fronckowiak, and senior defender Bret Darger, the Bruin defense smothered and stopped all offensive attacks from a White Buffalo’s team that scored 63 goals on the season and had ended the Bruins season last year in this same quarterfinal match up.
With this win the Bruins move on to a semi-final match at home Tuesday afternoon against the defending 2016 4A Champion Newport Cubs who dispatched the #1 seeded Seaside Seagulls 2-1 Saturday afternoon.