DAYTON — Playing in rain, high winds and cold temperatures, the Eaton boys soccer team gave its all in the second round of the Division II sectional tournament on Thursday, Oct. 20, against No. 4 seed Chaminade Julienne. Unfortunately, Eaton lost 3-0, ending the team’s hopes of advancing further in the post season.
“We gave up some goals that should not have happened,” said Eaton coach Matt Money. “I was expecting overtime and possibly a shoot out but it wasn’t meant to be. The score really does not reflect the real story of this as a tight game. The guys really played hard and I’m proud of them.”
The game was very fast-paced and physical, as both teams moved the ball all over the pitch. C-J had two early corner kicks and controlled possession of the ball but was unable to produce goals. Because of the wet and windy conditions, players slipped and fell often. There were only a few shots, two of them by C-J close to the Eaton net, but balls sailed high or wide. The game was scoreless at halftime.
The second half was a heightened, faster type of play, with C-J and Eaton playing even faster and passing more often until C-J scored with a long goal kick at the 12:03 mark.
What happened eight minutes later turned out to be the nail in the coffin for Eaton, as a kick to the net bounced over the goalkeeper’s head and rolled into the net for C-J’s second goal. C-J’s third goal came at the 2:52 mark on a fast break play to the net, ending the game.
Eaton accomplished one of its best seasons in school history, finishing with a 10-8 overall record, fourth in the Southwestern Division of the Southwestern Buckeye League at 6-6.
“We accomplished a lot this year,” said Money. “With our first-ever win over Bellbrook and the amount of wins we had, this team put Eaton soccer back on the map, and that is their legacy. We have more seasons to come.”
