On March 13, the Highlanders faced the Westfield Bulldogs in their debut. The team came into the season as district finalists, and hoped to expand on the previous season’s success.
Mclean came out relentlessly in attack, forcing several corners with dangerous balls going up both flanks. Junior wing-back Arman Badipour was ruthless in defense, with the Bulldogs being forced into cynical fouls to stop him.
Yet as the game progressed past the first ten minutes, the Bulldogs began to dominate possession, holding the Highlanders stagnant in advance and overextended.
However, the physical nature of the Highlanders began to overcome the blockade. Led by Badipour and junior center back William Saxon, they began to smack the Westfield front two around.
After a penalty shot that came inches away from success, the Highlanders were poised to make their mark, but the Bulldogs continued to dominate possession. With the professional defense McLean was showcasing, the half approached with the unenthusiastic scoreline of 0-0.
As the second half began, the Bulldogs’ direct momentum seemed to have remained the same, but yet again, the Highlanders began to see daylight. They saw several goalscoring opportunities denied by last ditch defending from the Bulldogs’ defending midfielder and captain Darren Sun.
“This was the first game of the season so we are still working on being a team as well as our timing,” head coach Leland Jameson said. “The chances were there for us and as the season goes on we will put those chances away.”
A calf cramp caused a timeout, and without the Bulldogs’ senior captain and center back Vinesh Sivaram on the field, the Highlanders started moving forward.
A great pass from sophomore attacking midfielder Luke Hamel led to a near chance denied by offsides, and with 15 minutes left on the clock, both teams began to play a lot more aggressively. The Highlanders were presented with numerous chances to raise the scoreboard, but the Bulldogs’ defense stayed a brick wall.
A mad scramble ensued, with vicious fouls and cramps sending people off, and dangerous balls striking fear into the hearts of fans on both sides.
Then came the final two minutes, and a flurry of activity demanded constant attention from the teams. Close calls and deep balls kept everyone on their toes. But in the end, the scoreline didn’t change, and the teams were sent to overtime with the game at 0-0.
“I thought the game was over so the overtime caught me by surprise,” Saxon said. “It makes regular season games more competitive which is what we all want.”
The first half of overtime was much like regular time with both teams playing spectacular defense and keeping the score at 0-0. The teams proceeded to switch sides, but not much else changed. Close chance after close chance, both teams were denied repeatedly. The defensive showdown ended as it began, 0-0.
“If there is anything to take away from this game it’s that we got a 0-0 draw playing one-tenth of what we’re capable of,” Jameson said.
McLean looks forward to their biggest game of the season so far, not just from a skilled perspective, but an emotional one too.
“We play Centerville next week who knocked us out in regionals last year, “ Saxon said. “We’re all ready to get back at them and avenge our seniors who graduated.”
