Clear Creek soccer secured another league win last Thursday.
CCMS met the Union County Panthers, and the Bobcats proved to be a strong test in a decisive 3-0 win. A week prior, Clear Creek faced nonleague foe Towns County, and the match ended in a 2-2 tie.
“Union has a good, organized team and proved to be a tough opponent. So I was extremely pleased with the performance by my lads,” said head coach Aaron Evans.
“They played a good physical game, the defense only gave up one shot on goal the entire game, which was saved by Landon Hamby in a one-on-one situation. The midfield kept good possession of the ball and helped set the tempo of the game, and then my forwards kept making dangerous runs in behind Union’s defense also providing constant pressure on their defense when we lost possession.”
Brayner Ortiz netted the Cats’ first goal on a 25-yard free kick after Deyson Lopez was fouled just outside the 18-yard box.
In the second half, Ortiz received a pass from Willian Ramirez-Nolasco just outside the box. Ortiz outmaneuvered a defender and scored a goal inside the far post. With less than 10 minutes to play, Alex Tercero’s corner kick managed to get through everyone and found Keby Puac on the back post for an easy tap in.
“Overall, it was a great, exciting game, and we are happy about the win. The boys have been working hard and it is showing,” Evans said.
The Towns match gave CCMS a chance to work on different formations and tactics while getting everyone plenty of playing time. Evans played reserves in the first half, and while the Bobcats had some opportunities, they were unable to score.
“Unfortunately, Towns was able to score two goals in the first half due to some simple mistakes made in the defense. But that is the whole reason we have these types of games scheduled: To give everyone the chance to play and to see what areas need to be improved upon,” Evans said.
With starters on the field for the second half, CCMS not only dominated possession, but kept Towns from progressing beyond midfield.
Lopez beat the goalkeeper and scored the Cats’ first goal in the opening minutes of the second half. Ten minutes later, he added another goal from the top of the 18-yard box.
“Once again though, with all the possession and chances we had on goal, we were unable to find the back of the net except for those two goals by Deyson,” Evans noted.
“Overall though, it was a good match that showed everything we need to keep improving on. It also helped the regular players work on some tweaks we made to our formation, which proved to be effective.”