McLean wins, 5-0

Herds of Highlanders scattered the bleachers surrounding McLean’s stadium on March 21st as McLean was set to take on the Justice Wolves in their third match of the season.

Right from the kickoff, McLean engaged in fast play and dominant defense. Just three minutes into the game, junior Caf Eaton swiftly slid in and navigated the ball to the goal, having scored the first point of the match.

As the half continued, McLean’s lively spirit both on the field and in the stands heightened while Justice still struggled to level the scoreboard.

Less than twenty minutes into the match, senior Nathan Jun cleanly scored McLean’s second goal which was quickly followed up by an additional score from senior Gage Lyons, leveling the count to 3-0.

As the second portion of the first half continued, it was clear that McLean’s stamina and energy had started to decline as their previously rapid pace of goals decreased.

“We start strong, we get the momentum in the first half but then we kinda lose it,” junior Leo
Journoud said. “We want to improve on finishing out the game a bit stronger.”

While the clock began to count down the minutes left in the first half, tensions on Justice’s side increased. Not having wanted to end on zero goals, they upped their aggressiveness on the field.

With less than four minutes on the clock, a Justice player collided into senior Nathan Jun, having taken him to the ground with a thump that echoed around the stadium. The clock paused as Jun regained his balance, a yellow card being called against the Justice player responsible for the collision.

By the time the first half wrapped up, the score still stood 3-0, McLean in a position of dominance, clearly directing the outcome of the game.

It was clear that the break revitalized McLean’s energy as sophomore Joe Margita swept in with the next two goals, raising the score to 5-0 less than ten minutes into the second half.

As the sky began to darken with the cold having also set in, Highlander victory seemed assured.

With twenty minutes left in the game and cheers resounding from McLean’s side of the stands, it was clear that Justice had become disheartened. Aware that McLean would continue to dominate the game, they hoped to keep the score at a constant and not allow them any additional goals.

As the night came to a close, the scoreboard stood at 5-0, McLean having reigned victorious over Justice and furthered their winning streak.

“I’m happy, we played good and kept a dominant performance, had a clean sheet and five goals,” Journoud said. “We’ve only conceded two goals so far this season so I’m really happy with the team. Everything’s going well and we just have great chemistry.”