The Carlmont freshman boys soccer team lost to Bellarmine with a score of 3-0 during a Carlmont Cup tournament game at home on Friday night.
The Scots started slowly and quickly conceded a goal in the first five minutes. Bellarmine surprised the Scots with their high press and fast plays early on. So, the Scots needed to bring up their intensity, according to Hugh Plitt, this year’s freshman team coach.
Both teams had many opportunities to score for the rest of the first half. During the last four minutes of the first half, Bellarmine was awarded a corner, which resulted in a goal scored with a header.
“I think we could have been a little bit better technically and competitively at the end of the halves because we started rushing and getting tired,” said Hayden Kupbens, a freshman for Carlmont.
The second half for the Scots was better than the first, as they held lots of possession and had many scoring chances.
“Going into the second half, we had a positive attitude and never gave up no matter what,” Plitt said.
During the last minute of the game, Bellarmine scored another goal from a counterattack, bringing the score to 3-0 before the game ended.
Although the final score was not what the Scots were hoping for, they were able to play well against a strong opponent.
“Overall, I think we had good possession, competed very well, and I think we put up a very competitive game,” Kupbens said.
Similarly to the Scots, Bellarmine’s players were pleased with their performance and win.
“I think we played very well because we were able to outmaneuver them successfully, and we used the chemistry that we have built over the past few weeks to play,” said Trace Peters, a Bellarmine player.
The Scots see this game as an opportunity to grow and now know what they need to do for future success.
“I think for use as a team, we all need to challenge each other, and we need to step up to the challenges, and we need to help each other out. We just need to tighten it up and work on the little things to make ourselves a better team,” Plitt said.
Despite the win, even the Bellarmine players believe they can do better in future games.
“I felt like spacing-wise, we could have improved,” Peters said.
Since this is only the beginning of the season, the freshman players are discovering the experience of playing high school soccer.
“Playing high school soccer is fun, and I just want to keep playing,” Kupbens said.
With over a dozen games ahead and over two months of the season left, the Scots have high aspirations.
“We plan to keep improving and hopefully keep winning,” Kupbens said.
The Scots are ready to take on their next opponents and continue the season.
“We are going to continue our style of play and gain the respect of the other teams in the conference,” Plitt said.
