JANESVILLE 鈥 Despite having a number of chances and multiple standout performances on defense, the 糖心Vlog传媒 Craig boys soccer team fell 2-0 Thursday at home against the Sun Prairie East Cardinals.
The Cougars had no shortage of opportunities in the match but just couldn鈥檛 break through as the Cardinals were able to grab goals in the 19th and 72nd minute to bring home the Big Eight Conference win.
鈥淚 really do think that was the best game we鈥檝e played all season,鈥 Craig head coach Hiqmet Dauti said. 鈥淲e played as a team, we played as a unit, we held the ball and dominated physically... Soccer鈥檚 just cruel sometimes, man.
鈥淚 told these guys that they better not have any hanging heads because we have a lot of momentum going into our tournament at Catholic Memorial this weekend.鈥
Sun Prairie East put Craig on its heels early and often following the opening whistle, unleashing multiple shots onto the Cougars. However, senior goalie Willian Alvarez stood on his head for the Cougars, parrying away everything SP East threw his way.
Craig鈥檚 defense, led by senior captain Gio Perez Torres, were also standouts to help keep the Cougars in the game.
鈥淚 think the score really doesn鈥檛 do it justice for how we played today,鈥 Perez Torres said. 鈥淥bviously everyone is going to see the score and think we played bad, but I think we played a beautiful game. I feel like this was just us getting warmed up for conference.鈥
Hayden Chapman had a solid opportunity for the Cougars in the 11th minute after a Sun Prairie handball on a pass back resulted in an indirect free kick from the six-yard box, but Chapman failed to convert, keeping the score deadlocked.
The Cardinals finally broke through in the 19th minute, sneaking the ball past Alvarez to put Sun Prairie East ahead 1-0. Seconds later, Craig had an opportunity to equalize after a lofted cross in hit the crossbar, but the Cardinals were able to clear the chance away, maintaining their lead.
Both teams proceeded to trade chances the remainder of the first half, but the 1-0 scoreline remained unchanged. Heading into the second half, the Cardinals kept their lead.
To open the second half, Danny Soria was nearly able to find the equalizer for the Cougars in the 45th minute, chipping the ball around the Cardinal keeper, but a defensive clearance by Sun Prairie East prevented Soria from finishing the job, once again maintaining the score. A few minutes later, SP East rattled a shot off the post.
While Craig had its share of opportunities in the second half, including several shots that snuck just wide of the Cardinal net, they were unable to take advantage.
Sun Prairie East finally found their brace in the 72nd minute, bumping their lead up to 2-0.
The Cougars continued to fight until the final whistle, but it was ultimately the Cardinals that prevailed, picking up a 2-0 victory under the lights at Craig High.
Craig now travels to Waukesha to take part in the two-day Sam Beres Tournament hosted by Catholic Memorial High School. The tournament is set to run September 4-5.
鈥淯s as a team, we鈥檙e able to motivate each other,鈥 Chapman said following the game. 鈥淲e could be tired, we could have not so fresh legs, we could have low morale, but I feel like this team, we鈥檙e all just so connected鈥 I鈥檓 very thankful for this team.鈥