The Becker varsity boy’s soccer team spent a long and frustrating evening under the lights at their new home field Tuesday as the Monticello Magic spanked the Bulldogs 7-0. In the early match, the Becker JV squad salvaged a 1-1 tie against the Magic underclassmen.
Coach Alex Jurek had earlier expressed some optimism in the strength of his team this year, saying that the game against Monticello would be a good test for his team. The Becker team played with good intensity throughout the match, but the level of speed and communication between the Magic players gave them an obvious advantage. The Bulldogs were able to advance the ball into the Magic end on many occasions, but the defense made it almost impossible to set up a goal-scoring shot. Several attempts sailed wide or high, with most of Becker’s shots being deflected by defenders.
“They came to play tonight,” Jurek said, noting that his team had given the Magic all they could handle last year even though the Monticello team ended the night with a 3-1 victory. “They didn’t overlook us this year,” he said. The Magic sideline meeting at half-time included a team “war chant,” which was answered by silence from the Becker bench.
The Bulldogs play in the center of the field was effective, but the superior execution by the opponents, especially in passing and setting up shots, told early and often. They got the ball in close and scored at a steady pace throughout the match, in spite of some impressive saves by keeper Hunter McCalla. Noah Arrigoni took over as net-minder for the final 18 minutes of the game on the varsity pitch, Jurek said.
Jurek said the outcome was a “wakeup call” for some of the team members, noting that attendance at practice has been less than perfect in some cases, and the extra time needed to practice shooting and passing has not been put in at the level he believes is necessary.
