Men's and women's soccer teams beat Hornets, Oak Mountain overcomes test from Chelsea
Published on Tuesday, March 26, 2024 at 9:29 AM
- Oak Mountain's boys and girls soccer teams overcame a tough challenge from county rival Chelsea, but Aidan Reilly's hat trick put the boys up 2-0 and the girls scored a second-half goal to seal the victory. After that, both Eagles teams won. (File)
Andrew Simonson Sports Editor
Chelsea – The Oak Mountain Eagles men's soccer team faced one of its toughest tests yet for a perfect season, fighting off an early two-point deficit on the road against the Chelsea Hornets on Friday, March 22nd.
However, the Eagles scored four unanswered goals to tie the Oak Mountain girls soccer team for a 4-2 victory, followed by a 1-0 victory shortly after.
Early in the men's match, Chelsea dominated offset play and used it to take the lead against their top-ranked rivals.
First, Luke Miller took a free kick directly on goal, curled the ball over the net and bounced off the keeper's glove for a goal, giving the Hornets a 1-0 lead.
Just over five minutes later, Chelsea proved that the goal was no fluke.
Miller took another free kick, this time firing into the box. The Eagles' keeper and defense made two saves, while Max Weber took a shot off the second rebound and the ball rolled into the net for his second goal of the game.
Facing a 2-0 hole against the No. 3 Hornets in a key area matchup, Oak Mountain bounced back and began the march home hoping to salvage an undefeated season.
Twenty minutes after Weber's goal, the Eagles found the back of the net for the first time of the night, cutting the lead to 2-1 before halftime.
As the second half began, Chelsea conceded a penalty, setting up Oak Mountain with a golden chance to tie the game.
The Eagles did just that, converting from the spot and tying the contest at 2-2.
Just a few minutes later, Oak Mountain scored again, taking a 3-2 lead against Chelsea.
While the comeback was complete and the lead was safely in the hands of the Eagles, Oak Mountain again scored four consecutive unanswered goals in the closing seconds.
The goal gave the Eagles a two-goal lead just over an hour later, sealing a 4-2 victory and improving their record to 17-0-1 heading into spring break.
Aidan Riley finished the night with a hat trick, scoring a team-high three goals on 3-of-5 shooting for a total of eight. Gerardo Rodriguez scored an additional goal, and Gabe Capozzi and Sam Collins each finished the day with an assist.
Alexander Chaide-Cruz came on as a reliever in goal in the 70th minute and, after two early goals, he made three saves to keep Chelsea scoreless for the rest of the game.
The Eagles' women's team tested itself in the nightcap of the doubleheader as Chelsea held them scoreless throughout the first half.
The result sent the team to the locker room tied 0-0, leaving the Hornets poised with a chance to earn their first area win of the season and third overall win.
But Oak Mountain was determined not to lose and performed well in its second area game of the week after losing to top-ranked Spain Park just three days ago.
A replay of the first meeting on Feb. 29, when the Eagles scored a late winner to win 1-0, Oak Mountain got the job done in the second half with a goal from its offense and a shutout from the Eagles defense.
With the 1-0 win, Oak Mountain improved to 13-3-2 and maintained its No. 2 spot in the Class 7A girls soccer coaches poll.
After spring break, the Eagles men's team will travel to Auburn on Tuesday, April 2 at 7 p.m., while the women's team will have that night off and be in action Friday, April 5 in an area match at Hewitt-Trussville at 5 p.m. to return to.The boys will take to the field at 7 p.m.
As for Chelsea, the players are scheduled to return for a county showdown with Thompson on Tuesday, April 2nd at Chelsea High School at 7pm. The girls will be off until Friday, April 12th, when they will travel to Hewitt-Trussville for their penultimate area game.
