The Carlmont Scots varsity boys soccer team tied with the Hillsdale Knights in a regular season game with a score of 0-0 on Jan. 16.
The Scots went back and forth with the Knights throughout the game. The game opened with a lot of energy, as the Scots were determined to establish dominance. Despite the great communication and effort by Carlmont, there were no direct goal-scoring opportunities.
“I was proud of the communication in the back. I’m a goalie, so the big thing for me is making sure that we’re all together in the back and working together, and I think we did that very well,” said Jamison Elliott, a junior goalkeeper.
The Scots adjusted to the Knights’ style of play by focusing their defense on the widths. Junior Tyler Wells and senior Alex Kim recognized the danger of long balls and made key adjustments to cut off and clear any passes sent toward the sides.
“I think the flow of the game fluctuated a lot, there were many positive moments for both teams which was reflected fairly in the 0-0 result,” Kim said.
Head coach Ryan Freeman had to change some of the ways they had defensively set up to negate what the other team was doing, and also set up ways the Scots can prevent the other team from exposing their weaknesses.
“From the start to the finish the team gave absolutely everything and they played as a group, whether on the field or not,” Freeman said.
However, by the second half of the game, neither team was able to score. Both teams’ energy was very high.
“We got a little chaotic toward the end, and I think we just had to calm it down and find our way to get through,” Elliott said.
The Scots matched the intensity the Knights brought and had the right mentality. Freeman will review the film with the team and put together two strong days of practice to keep improving.
“From there, the goal is to become the best versions of ourselves,” Freeman said.
