On Tuesday night, the McLean boys varsity soccer team took on the Washington-Liberty Generals in their first Liberty District game of the season. The Highlanders entered the competition with a 4-1 record and a four-game winning streak, looking to continue their dominance.
McLean started the game immediately on the front foot, winning a corner two minutes in. The set piece was capped off by senior forward Ada Karatepe scoring an Olimpico, which is a goal straight from the corner, setting the tone for the rest of the game.
The Generals responded to Karatepe’s feat by building a strong attack resulting in a free kick, which narrowly missed.
The game was tight at this point, and tempers were already flaring. Chirping and foul language could be heard from both sides, each trying to gain an edge over the other.
McLean began to apply more pressure which resulted in more chances. The Highlanders eventually won a corner kick, on which McLean thought they capitalized, with junior midfielder Charlie Lannin converting a header into the back of the net. The goal was called back due to an offsides penalty, but it was clear that McLean could not be stopped.
Poor defending from the Generals, combined with effective attack play from McLean’s forwards, led to more scoring chances for the Highlanders. Washington-Liberty boasted a strong goalkeeper, who made numerous impressive saves throughout the first half. It wouldn’t end up being enough, however, as senior forward Joe Margita received the ball on the left side of the box and blasted it into the left side of the net, making the score 2-0 going into halftime.
The second half started out similar to the first, with Karatepe scoring again after five minutes to make the game 3-0. Then, with 25 minutes left, Karatepe received a long ball on the right side of the field, finding himself one-on-one with the keeper. Composed, he chipped it right over the keeper's head, finding the back of the net, and completing his first ever hat-trick in a McLean uniform.
About 10 minutes after the goal, things started getting chippy once again. Karatepe was knocked down inside the box, causing a long argument between McLean head coach Leeland Jameson and the head referee. In the end, no foul was awarded and the game continued.
With just two minutes left, it was clear that a comeback from the Generals was hopeless. However, Margita ended up scoring two goals in a row within seconds of one another, completing his own hat-trick, and moving the score to 6-0.
“I definitely felt that there were some more chances in the first half that I could’ve scored,” Margita said. “I’m just happy for the success of the team though. We're not playing for individualism.”
Another unsung hero from the game, and throughout the season, has been the defense. The Highlander back line composed of seniors Will Saxon, Titus Powars and Aidan Levasseur has kept a clean sheet in each of their last three games.
“Our back line was great today,” Margita said. “I think [Washington-Liberty] only had one or two shots the entire game.”
The Highlanders look ahead to a five-game away stint, which starts with Madison on April 7.
“The outcome was as good as we could’ve hoped for today,” Jameson said. “If our finishing is on, this can be the outcome every single game.”
