Varsity soccer dominates area opening
Charlie Herring runs past Tiger defender (photo credit Russell Dearing).
February 9, 2023
Both varsity soccer teams put on a clinic, mercy-ruling the opposing Minor Tigers in the area matchup Tuesday evening.
The mercy rule applies once a team leads by 10 goals at half time or later. If it happens in the second half, the match ends there.
It took no time for the girls to get started, with senior Grace Studinka beginning the scoring barrage a minute and a half in.
Captain and senior Maddie Massie followed up Studinka’s goal almost instantaneously, knocking her shot in from a little under 18 yards out, just inside the fourth minute.
From then on the Patriots barely let the ball in their own half, keeping the pedal on the gas as long as possible.
The scorers for Homewood were Suzanna Busbee (34’), Sophie Lowery (29’), Massie (4’, 6’), Mary Siena McBride (8’, 37’), Martina Pozzo (5’, 10’), Celia Roitman (21’) and Studinka (1’, 20’,).
After the match, head coach Sean McBride said the key to the victory was his team following through on what they had practiced by “not focusing on individual stats, but [on] the team.”
The girls hit the road tonight, Feb. 9, to take on Trussville High School.
On the guys’ end, it took a little longer to open the floodgates, but once they did, there was no stopping them.
Some questionable offside calls early frustrated the Patriots until until senior Dean Armistead found the back of the net in the ninth minute. Junior Will Jackson followed up with Homewood’s second goal and the first of his two only four minutes later.
The boys reached the 10-0 scoreline a little under five minutes into the second half, ending the game.
The scorers were Armistead (9’), John Ernest (34’), Jackson (13’, 45’), Banks Landgren (28’), William Lewis (22’), Ben Noerager (34’), Weston Oltmanns (21’ (p), 42’) and an own goal from a Tiger defender.
Head coach Julian Kersh said “We’re always taking the season one game at a time,” regardless of the opposition and emphasized the team tries to never look ahead to the next game.
“[They] always have to be focused from the first whistle,” he said. “It doesn’t matter who the opposition is, whether they’re the best team in the state, or we’re scrimmaging the JV team, you have to give 100% if you want to keep improving.”
Despite a 10-o scorline, Kersh said it’s still early in the season and his team still has much to improve on.
The boys continue area play Feb. 13 against Jackson-Olin.
