Boys’ soccer defeats Ozark, advance to state quarterfinals
November 7, 2018
Ozark got on the board with the first goal of the game in the 11th minute as the Bruins were down 1-0, but the Tigers’ reign did not last long. Sophomore Jeremiah Johnson leveled out the playing field with a goal, tying the game at 1-1.
Less than one minute later, senior Jayton Johnson scored for the Bruins yet again, with an assist from Jeremiah Johnson. This goal gave the Bruins an edge that keeps them safe throughout the rest of the game with a 2-1 lead that they maintained for the duration of the game.
Head coach Scott Wittenborn is very pleased with how the Bruins played. He is most excited, however, by how they responded to pressure.
“I’m most proud of how we responded going down early,” Wittenborn said. “We had controlled the first 15 minutes, and then gave up a counter attack goal. Instead of rolling over, we scored two goals very soon after to take the lead.”
Senior Carson Linder would credit the win to the team’s depth and even after suffering the injury of standout forward Nate Durdle, he is confident in their abilities.
“Lee’s Summit is an incredibly talented team, with only one loss on the season,” Wittenborn said. “While our record isn’t as strong, our strength of schedule is much tougher than theirs, and we are playing really well the second half of the season.”
Wittenborn has complete confidence that his team will be able to compete with Lee’s Summit on Saturday. For him, it’s all about timing.