Boys soccer ties with Aquinas 1-1 in rain-shortened game
Neither team able to pull ahead at the end of the first half
September 15, 2016
Thanks to a weather delay as the game reached halftime, the boys soccer team tied St. Thomas Aquinas 1-1 on Tuesday, Sept. 13.
This was the team’s third game against an Eastern Kansas League opponent and senior Noah Veal, along with the rest of the team, knew they could fare well against Aquinas.
“We were pretty confident because we had beaten teams that they had previously tied,” Veal said. “We were going in looking for a win. We knew we could play with them because we have just as much talent as anyone else in the state.”
The game was a physical and back-and-forth contest as teams traded shots throughout the first half. Aquinas struck early with a shot from outside the box to take a 1-0 just five minutes into the game.
This wasn’t a concern for Veal as the team has had to play from behind multiple times this season already.
“We weren’t too worried because it was a lucky shot from 35 yards out, so we just had to relax,” Veal said. “We’re used to it. We gave up two goals in the first two minutes last game so it was nothing out of the ordinary.”
The game continued with the Jaguars pushing forward, while senior Sam Lopez missed some close shots. 12 minutes after the first goal, Aquinas gave up a penalty kick to the Jaguars, and sophomore Jake Ashford converted to tie the game 1-1.
Ashford knew he was ready for the opportunity to get his team back into the game.
“I needed to score. I needed to tie it back up,” Ashford said. “I had missed [a shot] earlier in the game barely and so I needed to put that one away. I was happy [when I made it] that it was tied back up. I was happy for [our team].”
As the game reached halftime, lightning was seen in the distance and the teams were sent into a weather delay. Shortly thereafter, the game was called by the referees and ended in a tie.
Even though he was satisfied with how the game ended, Ashford was hoping to finish the game.
“I’m happy with [the result],” Ashford said. “I’d have liked to finish the second half because we possibly could have won that game, but I’m OK with a tie.”
After playing against a higher level of competition this year, Veal knows that these types of games will help the team in the long run.
“The schedule is definitely a lot tougher this year,” Veal said. “We’re just getting used to it. We’ll be more prepared for playoffs.”
The team will next play Blue Valley West at home on Thursday, Sept. 22.
