On Saturday, Oct. 8, and Monday, Oct. 10, the Bel Air Bobcats played two key conference games against C. Milton Wright and Fallston at home.
Bel Air faced off against Fallston on Bel Air’s 200th anniversary celebration at Bobcat Stadium in a conference clash with massive title implications. The game started off sluggish, with Fallston dictating the pace of the game throughout the first half. After a slow and rainy 40 minutes, the Cougars and Bobcats trotted into the locker rooms scoreless. Fallston came out in the second half very strong, scoring 15 minutes in after striker Corey Madigan split two defenders and applied a cool and collected finish. Minutes later, senior defender Brandon Keller conceded a penalty kick which was ultimately converted. After a consolation goal by Josh Holcomb in the dying minutes, the Bobcats still trailed at the final whistle and fell to the cougars 2-1.
“The game was tough and not what we were expecting, we came out flat and Fallston got on our backs real fast for it.” Says senior Ryan Albright. “We didn’t match the physicality early.”
After losing on Saturday, Bel Air needed a win to keep their county title hopes alive. The only team standing in their way was arch rival C Milton Wright. CMW has proven themselves as one of the top teams in the entire state, having made it to state finals the previous year. The game was a thrilling back and forth contest with both teams generating goal scoring chances, but neither able to score. Just like the Fallston game, the first half ended scoreless. The Bobcats came out in the second half fearless, attacking the Mustang defense and putting them under pressure. After an amazing 80 minutes of soccer, extra time was needed to separate these two great rivals. ET started off just where regulation left off, end to end attacking and quick passing. With 20 seconds left in the first half, Senior Ryan Albright broke through the Mustang defense and slotted the ball past CMW’s Ryan Miller to win the game in ET by a score of 1-0.
“The CMW game was the turning point in our season. We had been playing below our capabilities for the past several games, so we needed to come out and play our best.” Says Coach Rose. “That’s exactly what we did, we played a solid game from beginning to end, and came out with a win against our rival and the 9th ranked team in the state. Games like this are what prepare us for the playoffs.”
Bel Air now prepares to face off against the team that defeated CMW in the states last year, Oakdale. The Cats travel to Montgomery county to take on the Bears on Saturday afternoon. The season concludes next week as the boys take on Aberdeen and Patterson Mill on the road. Tune into the last few games and support your team as they begin the push for a state title run!