Steers soccer takes loss in season-opener

On a cold and windy Tuesday afternoon, the Graham Steers officially kicked off their soccer season with a match-up against the Carter-Riverside Eagles.

Things started off strong for the Steers but the game slipped away from them as the Eagles came back and took the match 4-3. The contest was shortened due to the cold conditions and impending rain but Graham couldn’t hold onto the lead.

The two teams were tied at 3-3 with less than nine minutes to play in the game. Carter-Riverside had the advantage in time of possession in the game and that work paid off as the Eagles scored the game-winning goal with just over one minute remaining to pull out the win.

“Three times today we just sat there ball watching and it’s something we worked on all week but just couldn’t make it work,” head coach Tim Wankowicz said. “I saw a lot of good things from the defense early, but I think as we got tired, a couple of people had to come out with injuries, it stung us.”

Both teams had players sporting beanies, long sleeve undershirts and gloves as they kicked off with temperatures under 40 degrees. While Carter-Riverside controlled time of possession, Graham was more aggressive in the moments they did possess the ball.

The Steers had a few corner kicks early on, with one header getting blocked at the goal. But with about 16 minutes to go in the first half, Graham broke through.

Senior Jesus Lucio sent a cross pass to sophomore Jace Gill on the far side of the field. Gill fired a shot at goal that ricocheted off the top of the post back into play. Junior Easton Hedge was in the perfect position to collect the rebound and kick the ball into the goal to put Graham up 1-0.

About six minutes later, Graham’s quick offense struck again. Senior Holton Weatherman received a pass on the far sideline where he was streaking up the field. He made a couple moves on some defenders and struck a shot past the Eagles’ goalkeeper for the 2-0 lead.

In the remaining minutes of the first half, Carter-Riverside’s time of possession paid off after a corner kick was deflected and rebounded to an Eagle for a shot at goal to close the gap before halftime.

“Early on, offensively, we were doing really well. We were moving the ball well, we were exploiting space behind their defense like we've been expecting and doing. We got two early goals and then we stopped. We started holding the ball a little bit too long, not making good runs on our outside flanks. But occasionally we would and we just couldn't capitalize on them,” Wankowicz said.

Coming out of halftime, Carter-Riverside went back to work, holding the ball and preventing Graham from getting many looks on offense. The Eagles scored two goals in 20 minutes to take a 3-2 lead with about 14 minutes to play.

Needing at least a goal to tie, the Steers got more aggressive in the remaining minutes. Senior Bryan Sanchez received a pass in the opposing box and as he made a move towards the goal he was tripped and earned a penalty kick.

Fellow senior Jesus Lucio took the shot for Graham and shot a goal into the right side of the net as Carter-Riverside’s keeper went the opposite way to tie things at 3-3.

Throughout the second half, the Steers had a few players go down with varying injuries, which caused some struggles for the defense. With the score tied and less than two minutes to go, the Eagles managed to get into Steers territory and kicked the game-winning goal, another shot on a rebound following a block.

“It’s a long season; it’s a marathon, not a sprint,” Wankowicz said. “But I’m glad we were able to put three goals up, but we just got to make sure we don’t lose games when we put up three goals.”