BEAR — Caravel’s boys soccer team sent its first shot at St. Elizabeth goalkeeper Wesley Gant a mere 40 seconds into the teams’ matchup Oct. 20, a harbinger of things to come. The Buccaneers scored twice in the first six and half minutes on their way to a 4-0 win on a pleasant evening under the lights at Bob Peoples Stadium.
It was the opening game for both teams, and the Vikings had just one substitute player at their disposal. Caravel made it a point to press their opponent consistently, trying to tire the defenders.
The Bucs’ preferred option for much of the first half was to push the ball deep into the corner to Gant’s left, then look for an open player with a crossing pass. That worked to perfection just three minutes and 12 seconds into the opening 20-minute segment of the first half. Samrath Singh did the passing, and Miles Hood was on the receiving end, tapping the ball into an open net.
It took St. Elizabeth a while to get its offense going, but a free kick midway about 10 minutes in gave the Vikings a chance to equalize. The boot from 36 yards out, however, went wide to the right of Bucs keeper Logan Boettcher.
Singh picked up his second assist in the 12th minute on a goal by Nikos Criniti. Singh blasted one from 15 yards out that was stopped by Gant, but the rebound deflected right to Criniti, who deposited the loose change. Gant kept the deficit at two with a series of acrobatic saves, but Singh recorded a goal of his own after taking a failed clearing attempt in the 27th and sending it to the far right side of the net.
The Vikings’ best chance to get on the scoreboard came with about eight minutes remaining in the half. A long free kick bounced off the field turf and through the mitts of Boettcher, but the keeper quickly turned around and snagged the ball before it crossed the line. Boettcher was credited with his lone save just after that, stopping St. Elizabeth from mid-range.
The Vikings’ defense tightened up in the second half, but they were unable to generate any shots on offense. Zayd Akhtar of Caravel finished the scoring in the 69th minute.
Singh had his goal and assisted on the other three for the Buccaneeers. Caravel had an 18-1 shot advantage and all 10 of the game’s corner kicks. The Bucs improved to 1-0 and will host Newark on Thursday at 6:15 p.m.
Gant finished with 14 saves for the Vikings (0-1). They look to get their first win on Wednesday when they host MOT Charter at Alapocas Run State Park at 3 p.m.
All photos by Mike Lang.
