Arriving just in time after the graduation of D.J. Garrett,
Veterans High boys soccer freshman Mark Yeager had all three goals Tuesday in
the Warhawks’ shutout victory at Northside High.
Not only does Veterans have this first win against a county
rival in the young spring season, but coach Matt Roth led his third-year club
to an undefeated and championship showing at the 2013 Viking Cup hosted last
weekend at First Presbyterian Day in Macon.
The Viking Cup took place despite soggy conditions, and
Veterans cruised to a win in its first match 10-0. The competition picked up
from there, but it was still the Warhawks prevailing 3-1 against the host FPD
Vikings and 2-1 in the finals over Fellowship Christian from Roswell. {{more}}
“We were able to take advantage of the chances we were
given,” said Roth. “We’ve been there every year we’ve been here, and we claimed
it for the first time. Last year we didn’t lose a game in the tournament, but
we lost the championship on a points thing. To win it outright is really
special for the guys who were in it last year.
Yeager is the only freshman listed on Roth’s varsity roster
for the defending region champions (2-AAA, now 2-AAAA). Otherwise, there are 12
senior Warhawk soccer players and eight juniors. To make a push this season to
repeat as the tops in league play, Roth had to move some players around to
account for other graduation losses from last spring.
“We were real fortunate to get (Yeager),” said Roth. “For
somebody to fill a spot like (Garrett’s) as a freshman is something special. We
look forward to having him for the rest of the year and the future.”
In the goalkeeper’s slot is senior Ben Albritton, who gained
a whole season’s worth of experience last spring.
“Ben plays hard,” said Roth. “He knows the team. He sees the
field. He made some great stops when we needed him to (Tuesday), and he brings
leadership as a senior, directs those guys and let’s them know what’s going
on.”
Some other key returning players are junior Jordan Zwitch,
junior Dillon Garrett, senior John Pilcher, junior Cody Scarborough, senior
captains Joseph Faletto, David Gomez and Sean Joiner and junior Elijah Milteer,
a recent addition from the Veterans basketball team.
Tim Yaclin, who handled all kicking chores for David Bruce’s
football team, did not play Tuesday due to illness. He, too, is going to be
relied on for production as a junior.
“Jordan is starting for us on defense,” said Roth. “He’s
usually been a outside midfielder, but he’s doing what we need him to do on
defense. Dillon solidifies the center for us. As a junior, it’s important for
him to work with the senior Sean Joiner. Both of them moved from the outside to
the middle. They have experience, just getting used to a new position.
“Tim is really important to our midfield. He keeps it
together for our defenders, and sends some good serves to our attacking
players. We missed him (Tuesday), and I think you saw how.”
Even with the win, Roth told the group afterwards not to be
satisfied with the effort. Northside, under former Perry High coach Sam Said,
had something to do with that giving its own solid effort to keep players aside
from Yeager from adding to the goal total.
John Tignor, himself a football placekicker for the home
Eagles, sped down the right side 10 minutes into the first half. That earned
Northside the match’s first corner kick as Albritton had to rush outside to
clear.
Joiner cleared the ball after the soccer ball arrived at the
net. Northside maintained possession for a shot saved by Albritton.
Faletto took a cleared ball and shot wide of the Eagle goal.
Said’s defense crowded the box well with four players forcing Veterans to
attack from the outside.
At 26:25, Veterans had its first corner kick taken by Gomez.
Milteer took the ball at the top of the penalty box for a shot blocked by
keeper Austin Maddox. Yeager, though, rebounded and scored at 25:42.
Yeager’s second goal went in the net at 21:06 from a Milteer
throw-in the freshman controlled just a few yards from the line.
The bid for the three-goal hat trick took all the way to
5:29 remaining in the second half. Still in the first half, with 18 minutes to
play, Yeager’s first try hit off a Northside player. Michael Bailey rebounded
for the Warhawks and shot wide.
Maddox came up with a great save against Pilcher three
minutes later, and Albritton’s next save occurred at 13:02. Albritton also
stopped a crossing shot from the left side at 4:23.
With 12 seconds still to play, Yeager’s shot for the third
goal went over top bar by inches. The Warhawks settled for the 2-0 advantage at
the break.
For the first 15 minutes of the second half, both sides had
just one shot on goal. At the 22-minute mark, the Eagles had a corner kick.
Garrett, though, took the ball and led a Veterans charge for its own corner
try. Northside cleared that ball, and the action kept going from one end to
another.
At 19:20, Eagle freshman Justin Alonzo passed off to senior
Michael Clowers, who had an open net but missed on his cross. A couple of
minutes later it was Tignor racing down the left side for a shot saved by
Albritton.
The Warhawks had two shots from Scarborough inside the
15-minute mark, one that missed wide and the other caught on a leap by Maddox.
For Yeager, he again cleared the top bar by mere inches
(9:40) before converting a free kick a mere inches outside the box.
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