The Wellington High School boys soccer team hosted Spanish River High School on Wednesday, Nov. 13 and dropped a 1-0 halftime lead to the Sharks. Spanish River scored four unanswered goals in the second half to win 4-1. The contest was the second of the season for the Wolverines, who bested Atlantic High School 2-0 in the season opener.
From the onset, the teams battled to control the tempo, with play mostly in midfield. After a Spanish River player was carded and removed from play, Wellington pushed the attack. In the 28th minute, Ethan Burke launched a shot from 25 yards out and hooked the ball into the upper left 90, right by the stretched-out Shark goalkeeper. The goal gave the Wolverines a 1-0 advantage that they secured for the balance of the first half. The Sharks did do a better job late in the half spreading the field, testing the Wellington defense before the half concluded.
The Wolverines seemed to continue to dominate the pace of play for the first 10 minutes of the second half, but a series of fouls allowed the Sharks to grab the equalizer off a set play. The ball hit the crossbar and was struck by the Sharks on the deflection before the Wolverine keeper could get his gloves on the ball for the save.
Spanish River, still playing short for the remainder, began to gain momentum as the second half progressed. The 1-1 tie stood until the 20-minute mark of the second half. Just after the water break, the Sharks stole the lead with an awarded penalty kick from a foul inside the box. With the score 2-1, the Wolverines began to pressure Spanish River’s defense but could not sustain possession on the attacking third to put a shot on frame.
With just over 11 minutes remaining to play, Spanish River added a third goal with a solid through-ball pass to the striker that drove in the score to give the Sharks a 3-1 lead. They would add one more late goal just minutes before the final whistle to take the 4-1 win.
Wellington played Jupiter High School on Friday, Nov. 15 and won 4-3 to improve to 2-1 on the season.
