While a final score of 4-1 leaned in favor of Hart boys soccer, claiming victory over Ravenna, Monday, Sept. 23 wasn’t as easy as the scoreboard shows.
Though they controlled the pace of play with dominant possession in the first half, Hart was unable to find the back of the net. Ravenna struggled to find opportunities of their own with the Pirates’ game plan forcing the Bulldogs to rush their forward play.
Ending the first half with several scoring opportunities, Hart took a total of six shots in the final minutes, including three that were on frame.
Ravenna got going early in the second half, putting keeper Miguel Escamilla to work. Escamilla fought off a bevy of shots, making some great saves on the five shots that the Bulldogs fired his way.
Escamilla was forced out of the net with 18 minutes remaining in the game, after center back Carter Ramseyer exited the game with a hamstring injury. Escamilla slotted into Ramseyer’s spot and senior keeper JJ Bizon was inserted into the net.
Less than a minute after that lineup change occurred, Bizon was thrown into the deep end. The Pirates gave up a penalty with 17:20 left to play in the game, forcing Bizon into a one-on-one. Ravenna converted the penalty kick, putting the Bulldogs in front 1-0.
That lead quickly diminished as sophomore Logan Dean sent a through pass to junior Adrian Belmares down the left sideline. Belmares gained possession of the ball and quickly drew a foul, awarding Hart a penalty kick of their own. Senior Emannuel Ortega took control from there, slotting a ball past Ravenna’s keeper to even the score at 1-1 with just under 12 minutes remaining in the game.
The flood gates opened for the Pirates from there. A corner kick opportunity for Hart ended up loose in the Ravenna box and Ramseyer – who re-entered the game after some stretching – poked the ball outside where senior Adan Cruz fired a shot that was deflected into the net.
With under four minutes remaining and a 2-1 lead, Hart poured on two more goals to secure the win. The first came after a Belmares throw-in that traveled a long distance before finding the feet of Chase Lorenz. Lorenz guided the ball into the net to put Hart on top 3-1. The final goal of the evening came from senior Tyer Larios-Mendez who capitalized on a through pass from Escamilla.
The win over Ravenna, paired with a loss to North Muskegon, Wednesday, Sept. 25, pushed Hart to 7-7 overall and has them sitting at 3-5 in the West Michigan Conference.
