By Eriele Salas
The Father Duenas Friars were eager to beat out the Harvest Eagles Monday afternoon, as the Eagles were crowned champions in the 2021 and 2022 IIAAG Boys’ Soccer seasons. The Friars secured one goal in the 13th minute, while the Eagles left the GFA field with nothing.
The Friars played harmoniously with each one another, with EJ Manibusan assisting teammate Sam Stenson by setting up a shot for him to take on the Eagles goalkeeper.
First half
For the first half of the 90-minute match, both teams were fighting for control of the ball. The Friars defense was not holding back as they prevented the Eagles from taking any shots. While some were close, FD’s goalkeeper Jacob Toves shot down every one coming his way.
Eagle Levi Buckwalter was playing great up the field as striker, but he didn’t have much help as the Friar goalkeeper noticed the lack of pressure the opposing team had on them. Eventually, FD’s Toves decided to play out of the goal for a while, and took this advantage to make smart passes to his defense line in order for them to get the ball up the field.
“The goalkeeper played a really good ball behind me. I took a shot, I missed it, but luckily Sam followed through on the rebound,” said Manibusan. Friars Levi Berg and Manibusan also had near shots on the opposing team, but the Eagle’s goalkeeper Josiah Jones kept it out of his net. The Friars now had the upper hand against the Eagles, which gave them more motivation to finish strong.
“It’s a good feeling. There’s many more to come.”
– FD’s Sam Stenson on scoring the lone goal
Second half
Harvest is currently two-time reigning champions, so the Friars knew they had to shut them down.
FD came back onto the scorching field with victory in their heads and hearts. The Eagles defense were quick on their feet, and sent some great shots up the field from the midfield. Unluckily, their teammates didn’t make it to the ball on time in which it ended up falling onto the Friars feet.
The Eagles attempted to score many goals, but FD’s Nico Chargualaf and Donnie Moss on the defensive line shut it off for them. Nearing the end of the match, FD’s Beau Perez tried for a final goal, but wasn’t successful as it met the goalpost. Still, the Friars walked off the field with a well-deserved win over the Eagles.
“We need to be able to be smarter with our pass selection, and clean up our defending and positioning, and we’ll be fine,” said Manibusan.
The Eagles will be taking on the Guam High Panthers this Thursday at Harvest at 4:15 p.m. The Friars will have a bye that day.
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