BY GENE NARDI
Palm Beach Central High School’s boys soccer team played a road game on Wednesday, Nov. 16, against rival Wellington High School, and the Broncos rallied to tie the Wolverines 1-1.
Wellington scored its only goal of the match in just seven seconds, giving the Wolverines the lead over the Broncos, which remained secure into the half.
Palm Beach Central (4-2-2) had three opportunities in the first half to tie the game, but an aggressive Wellington defensive unit across the back made it difficult for the Broncos to put a strike on frame.
The Wolverines (2-1-1) managed to control the tempo of the first half, passing the ball effectively. Wellington’s ability to maintain possession created problems for the Bronco midfield. The Wolverines were also able to pressure the Palm Beach Central defense, which made for a busy Bronco goalkeeper.
The second half was more evenly played. Nine minutes into the half, Palm Beach Central grabbed the equalizer. Nate Crane drew attention as he pressured the Wolverine defense. He managed to maintain possession inside the box, beat the Wellington defense and the keeper, drilling the ball into the back right corner of the net to deadlock the contest 1-1.
Palm Beach Central built on the momentum but could not put together enough offensive to find the back of the net again. The Wolverines went back to what they knew would work — ball control. Wellington orchestrated several scoring opportunities later in the half, but could not finish on frame. While they were able to pass effectively, and switch the field, they could not get past the Bronco keeper, and the game concluded at a draw.
ABOVE: Palm Beach Central’s Alyeri Amaya tries to keep off Wellington’s Kharry Lari while settling the ball.
