MOUNT BERRY, Ga. – Berry College moved into the semifinals of the Southern Athletic Association Men's Soccer Championship with a 2-1 win over Oglethorpe Friday night at Bob Pearson Field.
After a tough battle with the Stormy Petrels last week, the Vikings defeated their in-state rivals with an outstanding performance. The intensity of the game increased in the 23rd minute after a shot on goal by
Nathan Carlson on the low center field, but it was saved by Oglethorpe. Berry's forward didn't give up and kept pushing with another shot that was blocked out for the first corner kick of the game.
Berry goalkeeper Jose Palacios showed off with an outstanding save in the last minutes of the half. Despite the effort from both teams, the first half of the game remained scoreless.
"The first half both teams were playing pretty direct, there weren't many shots" said Berry head coach
Richard Vardy, "It was kind of a hard-working fight, with not a lot of quality maybe in the final third, but again, people did not make any mistakes".
Berry kicked off the second half with an exceptional blocked shot by
Michael Carboni within the first three minutes of the half. Minutes later, the momentum stayed with the guests as a shot by Ethan Nunes screamed into the bottom left corner of the goal, giving Oglethorpe a 1-0 lead.
Minutes later Berry stepped up to the battle with as
Jacob Antoine was fouled in the box to give the Vikings a penalty kick. The shot was converted in the 11th minute of the second half by Berry's team captain
Henry Asbill.
Asbill stood out with an eventful performance changing up his usual position as a defending midfielder to push forward and apply pressure from box to box. "I loved it. The trust the guys have in me, and I love to put trust on those around me" said Asbill, "No matter where I play on the field, I know that the guy next to me is going to work hard for me. That is what shows on the scoreboard at the end of the game."
The Vikings continued applying pressure, sending defenders towards Oglethorpe in the midfield and forcing the Stormy Petrels to make mistakes. "We practiced a lot of pressing offensively and I felt like we did that really well. Limiting their chances, forcing them to make mistakes," said Carlson.
In the 68th minute,
T.J. Tracy took possession of the ball and sprinted down the left wing. As he got closer to the by-line, he turned in the box and drew a foul on Oglethorpe, giving Berry a chance from the penalty spot again. This time,
Nathan Carlson stepped up. Much like last week in the draw with Oglethorpe, Carlson would convert the penalty, giving Berry a 2-1 lead.
"I just felt more confident. Right before it, Henry gave me some confidence, he told me I'm the one to take it. The team as a whole built up my confidence throughout the season, putting their trust in me," said Carlson.
The Vikings ended their game with a memorable celebration, with the last ball played in a men's soccer game at Bob Pearson Field this season going off the head of Asbill and into the Berry faithful. "I knew that long ball was going to be their last chance, and once I saw that I could get my head to it, I got excited. I just hit it as hard as I could and started running to celebrate with these people that support us," said Asbill, "If you can't get excited over a game like this, I don't know what you can get excited for. It is an emotional game for us, especially for the three seniors. To come out and get a win just makes it that much better."
The win sends the Vikings into the SAA semifinals next weekend at Rhodes, where Berry will play the top-seeded Lynx in one of the two games Friday. Kickoff time has yet to be determined.
