Through the first four matches, Blair sophomore Isaac Field believes the Bears have secured pieces to the overall puzzle of their soccer season.
It's what he told the postgame huddle Saturday evening at Krantz Field.
“We just have to put them all together,” senior Quinn Baedke explained.
BHS is 2-2 after back-to-back close losses Friday and Saturday to The Platte and Hastings. After their first opponent won in overtime on penalty kicks, the Tigers edged the Bears, 2-1, in the cold a day later.
“When you have to play so much in two days, you've got a lot of people coming into the second game absolutely exhausted and we could see that today,” Baedke said. “But, as the game went on from the start, we definitely had an upwards rise. We definitely picked up our pace.”
Blair surrendered one first-half goal and another on a penalty kick, but kept the physical matchup with the Tigers close throughout.
“I thought we were great today,” senior Crayton Macholan said in defeat.
Alex just scored the Bears' lone goal with 12:51 left in the match, shooting it off of a deflection and into the net past Hastings' goalkeeper.
From there, coach Curt Scott's team threatened another score a few times, sending one long free kick into the box with 9:50 remaining. It made it through and set up a corner kick when the Tigers couldn't quite get to the ball either.
Macholan later added a shot on goal, too, but it wasn't meant to be. Though it only gave a single goal — not county the PK — the senior said his defense still has pieces to add to its puzzle. He wants it to add more chemistry and fluidity, but noted, “That will come with the season.”
Blair was scheduled to play Elkhorn North on Monday and next competes 5 p.m. today at Columbus Scotus.
Bears lose shootout
Blair lost its first match of the season Friday.
The Bears led The Platte 2-0 through 54:19, but lost the 2-2 match during a 5-3 shootout. Baedke scored two goals in regulation before he, Colton Matney and Eli Belsky made their penalty kicks in defeat.
The visitors' Tucker Orwig, however, made the decisive penalty kick at the end of the shootout on a cold night in Blair.
Baedke's first goal, however, came during the 26th minute when he hit the ball to the bottom left corner of the net and in. Then, with 25:41 left in the second half, the senior received a throw-in, dribbled to his right and booted the ball into the air, curving it into the top-right corner of the goal for the two-goal lead.
It didn't last, though, as The Platte scored shortly thereafter and again with just 5:13 left to tie the match. The teams played even during overtime, setting up the game-ending penalty kicks.
BHS SOCCER LINE SCORES
Saturday
Hastings 2, Blair 1
HHS (3-1) 1 1 — 2
BHS (2-2) 0 1 — 1
Goals: Blair: Alex Just. Hastings: Ticen Johnson and Jose Mares C.
Friday
The Platte 2(5-3), Blair 2
PLATTE (4-1) 0 2 — 2(5)
BHS (2-1) 1 1 — 2(3)
Goals: Blair: Quinn Baedke 2.
