Sports

In boys soccer: Undefeated Rangers lose battle with Bullets

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Ian Strange looks on as Riley Urie (left) and Jacob Sweet (right) take to the air to battle for the ball in Friday's rough-and-tumble game between the Rangers and Bullets.  Photos by David Dudley
Ian Strange looks on as Riley Urie (left) and Jacob Sweet (right) take to the air to battle for the ball in Friday’s rough-and-tumble game between the Rangers and Bullets. Photos by David Dudley

copyright the Chronicle October 1, 2014

by David Dudley

The Lake Region Union High School Rangers lost a hard fought battle with the Bellows Free Academy Fairfax (BFA) Bullets, 3-1, Friday afternoon. The Rangers — who came into the game at the top of their division and undefeated — knew they had their work cut out for them.

The game began on a high note, with both teams playing aggressively from the jump. The competition was heated, and the game play physical. The sight of bodies colliding, falling, and lying prone upon the pitch became a familiar one as the game progressed. These two evenly matched teams were vying hard for the upper hand, but the Bullets out-hustled the Rangers in the end.

The Bullets’ success can be attributed to many factors, but the play of senior Luke Rebeor may have been the key difference. Rebeor scored one goal, but the range and accuracy of his throw-ins made it difficult for the Rangers each time the Bullets took the ball out of bounds and in scoring position.

“The Bullets were definitely the more aggressive team,” Lake Region Coach Tom Evans said. “They ran us off a lot of balls, they played hard.”

The Bullets went up 1-0 with 24:39 left in the first half when Rebeor scored off an assist by junior Alex Ferguson. Rangers keeper Danny Epinette tried to intercept Ferguson’s pass, but the ball bounced off Epinette’s chest. Rebeor found himself in the perfect position to put the ball into the upper left corner of the goal.

The Bullets' Alex Ferguson chases the ball out of bounds after Rangers back Logan Harper attempts a shot against Bullets keeper Brandon Cardinal.
The Bullets’ Alex Ferguson chases the ball out of bounds after Rangers back Logan Harper attempts a shot against Bullets keeper Brandon Cardinal.

Mr. Evans pulled Epinette from the game, sending in Caleb Derbyshire.

Moments later, Bullet forward Jared Quick collided with Derbyshire. The Rangers cleared the ball, as Quick slowly returned to his feet.

The Rangers earned a chance to tie the game, as Rian Hayman-Jones sent a beautiful cross to teammate Riley Urie. Urie headed the ball, but it banked off the crossbar and out of bounds. That’s the kind of half the Rangers had. They worked hard for a handful of opportunities, but just couldn’t get the ball in the net.

The Bullets struck again when junior Evan McNall set up a Yohance Gill header, giving them a 2-0 lead, which the Bullets would carry into halftime.

“They’ve got a young team,” Bullets Coach Ben Wells said. “If you get a young team down early, it’s hard for them to fight back. We tried to get on them early in the game and maintain that level of play.”

But the Rangers weren’t content with their performance in the first half. They returned to the pitch raring to play, and had somehow turned up the intensity a notch. They spent the first five minutes of the second half threatening to score, but came up empty handed. Much of the second half played out like that — the Rangers getting into good position, only to be denied by the Bullet defense, or to narrowly miss the goal. But the Rangers never lost heart.

“I thought we created a lot of good opportunities,” Mr Evans said. “We had our shots, we just didn’t finish them.”

Each drive seemed to leave another player banged up, lying on the pitch, or limping as he tried to take his position again. The coaches had had enough. Mr. Evans and Mr. Wells pled with the refs in turn, as a number of questionable calls were made. But their pleas were rewarded only with yellow cards.

Finally, with 25:52 left in the game, Rangers junior Kolby George lured Bullets keeper Brandon Cardinal to the left of goal, then crossed the ball to Austin Roberge, who banked it home.

The Rangers were within one goal, at 2-1, with time enough to mount a comeback.

As the game wore on, what was a warm, sunny day gave way to a chilly evening. The shadows from the hillside, where supporters had lined up the length of the field to cheer their team, continued to grow, eventually throwing the whole pitch into shadow. Time was running out for the Rangers when a handball gave the Bullets a penalty kick.

Bullets senior Alex Chapman blasted the ball past Derbyshire to cap the Bullets’ offensive production, and to put the game just beyond the Rangers’ reach.

Rangers senior Ian Strange blows off some steam at the Rangers’ frustrating 3-1 loss to the BFA Bullets Friday.  Though the Rangers created a number of opportunities, they couldn't quite get the upper hand in the hard fought match.
Rangers senior Ian Strange blows off some steam at the Rangers’ frustrating 3-1 loss to the BFA Bullets Friday. Though the Rangers created a number of opportunities, they couldn’t quite get the upper hand in the hard fought match.

Still, with the crowd, and their coach, rallying behind them, the Rangers went down fighting. The players from both teams were met with tremendous applause as the clock ticked off the final few seconds.

“The game was intense,” Mr. Wells said. “My guys knew what was on the line. I knew they were focused, and the match showed it.”

“They definitely had the physicality going for them,” Mr. Evans said of the Bullets. “It’s a tough loss, but we’ll be a better team for it.”

The Rangers remain at the top of their division, with seven wins and one loss.

contact David Dudley at [email protected]

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