The Huron boys’ soccer team, the fifth-ranked team in Division 1, took a 1-0 lead in the first half over host Dexter before adding three more goals in the second half for a 4-0 win Thursday over the young Dreadnaughts.
“It was an impressive performance from our team, and I’m proud of the way our players executed on the field,” said Huron Coach Luis Gomez-Dominguez. “One noteworthy aspect of our team is the balance we have between experienced players from last year’s squad and the fresh talent from our newcomers. Unfortunately, we were missing two of our captains and All-District players, Gavin Brooks and Will Cook-Diamond, due to illness and injury. Despite this setback, we fielded a team that included six sophomores, showcasing our team’s depth and promising future.”
Dexter Coach Jamie Lewis continues to see improvement and bright spots despite the setback.
“They are a good team,” Lewis said. “We gave up a PK on a hand ball just 1 minute into the second half and never really recovered. We still had chances but made a few really bad mistakes.”
Looking ahead, the River Rats have three consecutive away games against Stoney Creek, Skyline and Lincoln. Their next home game is scheduled for Sept. 21 against Saline (ranked No. 8 in the state).
The Dexter game started with an outstanding display of awareness by Huron’s Kinley Poole, a talented sophomore forward. Poole secured the opening goal by outmaneuvering Dexter’s goalkeeper and a defender. Bernie Bowman passed the ball to Poole, who beat the Dexter defender and goalkeeper to the ball and had a wide open net to give the visitors a 1-0 lead.
In the second half, Huron senior midfielder Esteban Mercado displayed his composure by converting a penalty kick to make it 2-0.
Following Esteban’s goal, the Huron offense continued to shine with an impressive sequence of back-to-back goals. Junior Antonio Cassone and sophomore Nicolas Mercado, both forwards, displayed their scoring prowess, securing goals in quick succession before the 20-minute mark.
“In terms of our defensive performance, our backline did a remarkable job containing Dexter’s talented player, JP Assenmacher,” said Gomez-Dominguez. “Senior Jack Regan, junior Bernie Bowman, and sophomores Nasser Diarra and Amadou Sidibe were instrumental in this effort, working seamlessly as a unit to keep JP in check.”
