Game MPSSAA 4A Boys Soccer Regional of round Round 2

Photo courtesy of AEHS Soccer Instagram. For No. 7-seed Einstein boys’ soccer, the road to the North II Final was daunting. It passed its early test, capturing an 8-7 shootout victory over fellow Montgomery County foe Springbrook, before turning its attention to another familiar county opponent in Blake — the No. 1-seed in its regional bracket. Einstein’s familiarity with Blake was opportune; it had the Bengals’ number after a 5-1 victory earlier in the season. The four-point loss was just one of three defeats Blake suffered all season, and the only one it lost by more than a goal. The Titans channeled that success against Blake once more Friday, demolishing the Bengals, 4-1. Einstein made inroads in the first 10 minutes of action, peppering the net with a few chances that weren’t quite close or powerful enough to be true threats. In fact, it was Blake that had the first premier scoring opportunity of the afternoon, rotating the ball around the edge of the box until an open shot from the right side of the cage opened itself up — the shot crossed the net and outstretched arms of Einstein’s keeper before pinging off the post. Just minutes later, a point blank cross to the center of Blake’s box failed to truly connect with the boot of a Titan attacker, whose shot was scooped up by the Bengals’ diving goalkeeper. The momentum was palpable, though, and on Einstein’s side. That became even more clear over the ensuing minutes. Two close-range free kicks and roughly 15 minutes later, the Titans hit paydirt for their first of four scores of the game. This one came on a free kick from 20 yards out, sneaking around the close side of the defensive wall and fooling Blake’s goalkeeper, who was late on the dive. Blake was able to answer back just before the half. Alhaji B. Koroma took a perfect touch to the center of the field off a throw in. With defenders on all sides, he swung a rope from the top of the box into the bottom right corner, knotting things before the half. The Titans had to keep a few of the Bengals’ shots at bay before the second half, but once they did, the floodgates opened. Around halfway through the second half, Einstein struck again. This time, an intercepted pass on Blake’s back line gave the Titans’ attacker free room to close in on net. A contested shot bounced past Blake’s goalkeeper, who believed it was heading wide of the net. Instead, it hit the back of the net, giving Einstein a lead it wouldn’t relinquish. Just two minutes later, a free kick from all the way on Einstein’s half of the field was pelted deep by its goalkeeper, reaching Blake’s box. Though it was initially punched by Blake’s keeper, the ensuing rebound was promptly put home by the Titans’ swarming attackers. Einstein added extra insurance on a score with 13 minutes left. An Einstein wing flanked the edge of the box, heavily guarded by a Blake defender, but still managed to flick the ball over the keeper on the near side of the net and secure the win. Einstein will take on Richard Montgomery in Round Three next; it previously lost to the Rockets 1-0 on Sept. 29.