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Game 10: (5-4-1)
1 October vs. BV North at home (5-0)






We opened a huge week for the team with a return home to play Blue Valley North. After this week, the season will be down to only 3 more matches, as we will play three more games in Springfield at the end of the week.

We came into the match knowing we had to play better defensively. We had been giving up just too many goals. And we did that. In fact, North only got three shots off all night, and only one of those was on goal.

We played lock-down defense, holding a good North team at zero. That happened with a strong back four (Kitts, Rutter, Laws, and Lynch) and a superb keeper in Parker Lehn. Oliver Sarmiento and Grady Richlin held down the wings virtually throughout the second half, and Hank Gassel protected the net for 20 minutes.

The match began in pregame with the best captain's speeches I can recall. Before, the last captain to speak and the Man of the Match tonight, closed those captains' speeches with a powerful prayer that called all of us to find the best in ourselves and honor our God.

We cashed two corners tonight, which we had worked on, discussed, reviewed, etc., these last few days.

Our defense held shape, made recovery runs, and talked. Those improvements showed on the scoreboard and throughout the match.

We came down to a position we have not seen all year. As the game entered the last 15 minutes, we could glance at the bench to see Befort, Siebert, Ragan, Kitts, Lehn, and Lynch! They were all sitting, untying their boots, enjoying final minutes of the match.

This was a team victory that Nate had pointed us to during pregame. We all needed to find a way to contribute positively to this match. 

The coaches selected Befort as Man of the Match, as his play was just inspirational, but this was a team victory!


STATS:

First Half:

Saints: Shots: 9 (6) Corners: 5 (Siebert 3, Fuentes, Befort)

36:15 Siebert (Brody intercepts the goal kick and launches a low missile from 22)

19:23 Fuentes (Ragan bends in the corner for a Fuentes one-touch back on for back post-side-netting)

15:51 Laws PK (Weinberg makes this nice run (notice how he pauses, comes back a bit to find that space before pushing up to receive the pass) and gets taken down)

Mustangs: 1 (1) Corner: 0

Second Half:

Saints: Shots: 8 (6) Corners: Doerfler, Omar, Ragan)

33:33 Ragan (Spencer takes the lefty corner that scoots out for Weinberg one-touch, followed by a Befort one-touch, only to be finished by Ragan, who started it!)

5:19 Wendell (Fuentes brings the ball across the top of the big box for the nice finish for Santiago in his first-ever game for STA)

Mustangs: Shots: 2 (0)



Our yearly poster (theme coming from Bobby Bjorseth) came out yesterday. Shout out to Coach Hammons and Mr. Thrasher for turning an idea into this visual.

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