It had been four long years since Notre Dame-West Burlington had beaten crosstown rival Burlington in boys soccer.
So long, in fact, that none of the members of this year’s Nikes team were had been a part of a victory over the Grayhounds.
With the score tied a time winding down, the Nikes found a second wind.
Senior foreign exchange student Alessandro Markomichelakis scored on a free kick from 20 yards out and senior goalkeeper Taylor Lundgren came up big, with a lot little help from senior defenders Caeden Ott and Peyton Reichter, as the Nikes eked out a 3-2 win over the Grayhounds on a chilly, breezy Monday night at Bracewell Stadium.
It was a victory the Nikes had to have.
“That was definitely chaotic. I’m glad we were able to hang on, but definitely a learning lesson there to just relax and keep our composure,” first-year ND-WB/Danville coach Aron West said. “It’s always a tough match playing BHS. It’s always hard, no matter what their record is. It’s hard to say what this will turn into for us this year. We definitely have our goals set very high.”
Notre Dame-West Burlington (2-1) controlled play in the first 20 minutes and took advantage by finding the back of the Grayhounds’ net twice.
Ashton West set up the Nikes’ first goal, dribbling along the right goal line, then crossing the ball through the box to Luke Carper, who beat Sheltyn Anderson to the left post for a 1-0 lead just less than three minutes in.
Thirteen minutes later, Markomichelakis used some fancy footwork to dribble into the 8-yard box and beat Anderson for a 2-0 lead.
It is a sight that is becoming all-too familiar for BHS thus far.
“We’ve had a slow start this year. Our record and even with the games themselves. We find ourselves pressing and we just can’t find the back of the net at this point,” BHS coach Trevor Cushman said. “Once we’re able to come together as a team and attack as a team, we’ll have better results. At this point we’re struggling to find the back of the net. We just continue to play from behind each time. It’s hard to accomplish that and come through with a win. You start overexerting yourself. It’s tough at this point. The boys are trying. We’ll get there. It just takes a little time.”
BHS (0-3) controlled play for the next 40 minutes, putting the Nikes on their heels.
Senior Will Steemer found a new home at forward for the Grayhounds, and it paid big dividends.
BHS capitalized on a Nikes’ handball in the box for a penalty kick. Mateo Weir did the honors. His shot caromed off the fingertips of a diving Lundgren to cut the Grayhounds’ deficit in half with seven minutes left in the half.
The Grayhounds rode the momentum into the second half. In the fifth minute, Steemer dribbled through the Nikes’ defense and beat Lundgren to knot the match at 2.
BHS had numerous opportunities, but couldn’t find the elusive go-ahead goal.
“I think they know what they’re capable of doing. It’s just a matter of putting the pieces together for the entire game instead of just pieces of it at this point,” Cushman said. “We were pressing. We just couldn’t get that goal to fall. That’s the story of our season so far. If we can get some to fall, then it will be a different story.”
The Nikes found a burst of energy in the final 15 minutes. Markomichelakis’s goal off a free kick from 20 yards out gave Notre Dame-West Burlington new life.
“I think getting that goal gave us more confidence to play our game,” Coach West said. “It would have been nice to have that second one, but I think it gave us a minute to breathe and get our composure back a little bit.”
Lundgren made some daring saves down the stretch, getting help from Ott twice, including one when Lundgren was out of the net and Kamryn Reynolds was loose in the box. Ott swept the ball out of danger to help preserve the win.
“It’s huge for us to do that. Close game. Three minutes left. Everybody giving their top effort. It’s really nice,” Ott said. “This win will be a huge confidence boost for the rest of the team. It will get everybody excited for the upcoming games that we have.”
“I think it’s all mentality thing,” Lundgren said. “We came here wanting to win. We knew we were going to win. As my football coach (Joe Bowman) said, we played relentless. That’s what we need to do and that’s what we did.”
