ATLANTA — The Eastside Eagles’ boys soccer team played their final game of the season on Thursday as the Midtown Knights defended their home turf under the Atlanta lights. With a trio of goals in both halves, the Knights took down the Eagles 6-0.
Following a last-minute win over one-seeded Perry a week prior, the two lower-seeded teams met at Eddie Henderson Stadium for the Sweet 16.
From the very first whistle, the Eagles were on the attack.
Hudson Harris, Joel Funes and Alexis Vieyra each had multiple chances as the Eagles had frequent possession in the early going. However, the Midtown keeper put a stop to every attack as Eastside fell just short on almost every attempt.
Head coach Jabari Bennett sent his team out in a 4-3-3 formation, with the hopes of getting ahead early.
“The game plan with that was to try to have them score as early as possible. As you know, finishing your chances means everything,” Bennett said. “If we had finished our chances early in the first half, I think this is a completely different game.”
Midtown possessed a wide variety of experience and size, and Bennett fully expected a different level of play compared to the Panthers.
“We knew going into this game that it was definitely going to be a tougher game comparatively, so at the end of the Perry game I felt like we needed an anchor. I felt like we had that in Thomas Fletcher, and he did very well tonight honestly,” Bennett said. “I trusted my players and I knew they could handle the pressure. I felt confident in the formation we came out in today…For the first 20 minutes I thought we did really well.”
Midway through the first half, Midtown capitalized on one of its few early chances.
A breakthrough on the Eagles’ back line paved the way for a Midtown striker, who took a power shot from close range. Tucker Consuegra attempted the tough save, but the distance was too close to make the play.
Four minutes later, the Knights doubled their lead after a re-direct off a Consuegra save went right to the same player, who drilled the shot.
Midtown added its third goal courtesy of Sanford Redd, who scored from close range after a shot was blocked by Consuegra.
Not too long after the start of the second half, Midtown’s Dexter Williams shot across Consuegra for the team’s fourth goal of the match.
The Knights went on to score a pair of late goals to put the final touches on what proved to be a 6-0 win in Midtown.
With the defeat, Eastside’s season came to an end with a 8-8 record that saw the team finish fourth in Region 8-AAAA(3-3). For the second consecutive year under Bennett, the team advanced to the Sweet 16.
Despite the season-ending loss, Bennett praised his team for their efforts after the game and the fight they showed on the offensive end.
In particular, the second-year coach made sure to highlight his strong senior class — a group that played their final game on Thursday.
“To not just the team but to the whole program itself, they have set the standard,” Bennett said. “All of these young guys look up to them, and to see them go is genuinely tough. Hudson, Alexis, Tucker, Cavahn, Mason, Chris — these are players that are irreplaceable. That being said, it is always next man up.”
Despite back-to-back years with a mass exodus of seniors, Bennett has high hopes for the team’s youth.
With players such as Funes, Jonathan Gomez and Chance Henderson, Bennett believes that program is in a spot to keep the momentum from the past two years.
“We have a lot of good talent coming in here, with Joel, Chance, James and Trevin,” Bennett said. “These guys, it is time now to step it up. I believe in the youth that we have that we can make another run next year.”
