Cougars' soccer handles Staten Island Academy, 2-1

The Martin Luther Cougars’ soccer team defeated Staten Island Academy by the final score of 2-1 at the Metropolitan Oval Tuesday.

According to coach Matt Moran, this is only the third time Martin Luther has defeated SIA in the past 25 years.

The first 25-30 minutes of the contest illustrated the competitiveness of both teams as they put together some really sound play. Mistakes were seldom made as Martin Luther and SIA displayed defensive technique and decent ball control.

Once the opening 30 minutes passed, however, the Cougars stepped up their offensive pursuit, putting pressure on the SIA defense time and time again. Junior Jay Kim nearly got his head on one in the 34^th minute but the goalkeeper collided with him. The referee deemed it fair as both players were going for the ball.

The Cougars came right back in the 35^th minute as Alex Ortiz blasted a goal into the top right corner of the net off of Kim’s assist.

The first half defensive unit, which manned the shutout consisted of Steven Fonseca, Kyle Morrissey, Jacob Park, freshman Joseph Gannon, and goalkeeper Jose Cabrera.

Coach Moran noticed Gannon’s effort early in the match.

“He’s not afraid to win the ball in the air,” said Coach Moran. “When they [SIA] got physical, he got physical right back.”

Staten Island Academy would get a few chances early in the second half but proved to be nothing the Cougars couldn’t handle.

The Cougars kept their foot on the pedal, as they were able to put through another goal in the 63^rd minute. This time the roles were reversed as Kim knocked in a superb cross following some fancy footwork by Ortiz out of the corner.

Slightly after that, Fonseca put a ball on goal off a free kick from about 40 yards out, which in most cases sounds absurd. This ball just cleared the top right part of the post – a play that would undoubtedly land on ESPN’s top ten plays of the night.

With just a few minutes remaining, Martin Luther saw two important pieces of the team in Alex Ortiz and Carlos Mosquera carried off the field by Coach Moran following minor lower leg injuries.

As a result, SIA was able to capitalize and put in a goal, ruining the Cougars’ chance at shutout. The goal would prove to come too little too late.

This match leaves Martin Luther at an overall record of 4-1 as they chase a consecutive PSAA championship.

By: Frank Stampfl