Coming off of an intense 2-1 win against Centreville High School in a game that had as many red cards as it did goals, McLean’s boys soccer team looked to continue asserting dominance over the northern region by taking on an experienced South Lakes team trying to rebound from a loss to Langley. Despite the recent win, the Highlanders did not let up their intensity when approaching the game.
“We have been preparing by training extremely hard, mentally and physically,” junior striker Joe Margita said. “We’ve also started to watch film on other teams before games, which gives us a [leg up].”
McLean needed reinforcements on its back line to make up for the loss of senior defender Dante Tosado, who is serving a one-game suspension after being ejected from the victory at Centreville.
“With Dante out, our entire team will need to step up,” Margita said. “He’s a key defensive player, and to fill his role our entire team will need to be well-connected throughout the game.”
McLean ramped up pressure on the Seahawks early, with forwards and defenders alike heading full-speed for the ball at every opportunity. McLean’s strong counterattack gave the Highlanders several opportunities in the first ten minutes, but their early chances bore no fruit. It finally came together after eleven minutes had passed, when a defensive handball led to junior forward Ada Karatepe calmly slotting in a penalty shot to give McLean a 1-0 lead. South Lakes could not get any viable offensive looks, largely in part due to strong challenges from defenders like junior Titus Powers.
Junior Sebastian Carmenates, still relatively new to the position of starting goalkeeper, showed his prowess in the box with an incredible leaping save to push a shot over the crossbar. Unfortunately for McLean, there was little Carmenates could do to stop South Lakes’s next shot, a screaming penalty strike that equalized the score. McLean responded quickly, as senior forward Caffrey Eaton looped in a beautiful shot that snuck inside the far post to make the score 2-1 in favor of the Highlanders. The second half was a flipped script, as McLean slowed down the pace to keep the clock under their control. South Lakes had far more threats in the latter half of the game, but Carmenates and the rest of the defensive unit repelled them with ease. The brisk evening had transformed into a full-blown winter night, and the goalies on both ends did whatever it took to keep their blood flowing. Evidently, the chill caused some ill temper for the South Lakes goalie, who was sent off with a red card for saying something indiscernible, but evidently not sportsmanlike, to the referee.
The extra-man advantage was beneficial to the Highlanders, and they were able to lull the Seahawks to sleep, running the clock out to triple zeros even with a few last-minute opportunities rearing their heads. McLean picked up the 2-1 victory, their second on the season and first at home. The win showed lots of promise, but also displayed areas for improvement in all facets of the game.
“We’ve been looking for this win,” Karatepe said. “We had some problems at the end, but we fixed it, and we got the [win]. We have to be better in the back, build out better in possession. We got to keep working and putting in the grind.”
McLean’s grind was enough to propel them over the Seahawks, but with a tough schedule ahead for the Highlanders, it will only get more difficult. Their next match will be an away game against Mount Vernon High School on Thursday, March 21.