Boys Soccer interrupted

By Bruce Karnick

As if 2020 is not weird enough for the 1-5-1 Raider Boys Soccer team, their 7:00 p.m. game at Tartan on Tuesday, September 15th was suddenly stopped for a gas leak. Senior Matthew Qualy had just tied the game at 2 with roughly 22 minutes left in the second half. The post goal kickoff was about to happen when a school official from Tartan ran on to the field waving his arms to stop play. Tartan High School is only a few hundred yards from the sports stadium, so a gas leak, and potential explosion could pose a threat to those using the open-air stadium. Everyone was quickly evacuated for safety.

Prior to the sudden stoppage of play, #13 Qualy, logged his first points of the shortened season with the game tying goal. #6, Junior, Steve Krey had notched his first goal of the season as well. The sudden surge in scoring comes from the coaching staff making a concerted effort to be more aggressive on the offensive side of the pitch.

“We wanted to take some pressure off the defense. They have been beaten up all year,” Head Coach Jamie Swanson said. That plan has clearly worked, and the defense is playing better because of it.

In the game against Tartan, they were tied at one just before the end of the first half when Tartan would score on a penalty kick. “That PK kind of took the wind out of the guys’ sails until we pointed out to them that Tartan really only had 2 legit chances to score the entire first half.” That reminder was all it took for the boys to mount a comeback. A comeback that had the momentum in their favor until the gas leak stopped play. Tartan felt the pressure from the start of the second half. At one point, Hastings had kept the ball on the Tartan half of the pitch for more than 4 minutes straight.

“We were smothering them. We had them right where we needed them, and we knew it was just a matter of time before we would have multiple chances to take the lead,” Swanson said. Hastings is peaking at just the right time of the season. Normally, they would have another four to six games left before the Conference Championships. An extra four or so wins could really change the look of the standings, much like the win against Tartan could have changed it up for the Raiders.

“The guys were pretty angry about the way the Tartan game ended, but they turned that around pretty quick. They told me that if they play that way against Simley, they know they can finish the regular season with a win. I’m just really proud of their resolve,” Coach Swanson beamed.

A win against Simley on the 22nd would not change the standings for the Raiders headed into the Conference Championships, but it would be huge keeping the positive momentum they have built the last two weeks. Hastings hosts Simley at 7:00 p.m. and then it is Conference Championship time. Being in the bottom half of the Metro East Conference standings typically means they will play on the road for the playoffs which begin September 30th, continue October 3rd, and conclude on October 7th.