Pacelli’s offense overpowers Falcons in conference showdown
By Jacob Heid
Sports Editor
STEVENS POINT – The Pacelli soccer team played its second game of the season vs. the Amherst Falcons at the Portage County Youth Soccer Complex in Stevens Point on Oct. 2.
Amherst got the best of Pacelli in the first matchup, but the Cardinals got revenge on their home field with a 4-2 win.
Junior Braeden Flaker led Pacelli’s offense with two goals in the win.
The offense showcased early as the Cardinals found the back of the net first.
Senior forward Max Grabiec beat the defense and keeper Alex Martin to take a 1-0 lead in the fourth minute.
It didn’t take long for Amherst to answer Pacelli’s initial goal. Sophomore Ayden Kazda got ahead of the defense and netted his 23rd goal of the year to tie the game 1-1 in the ninth minute.
Multiple offside calls on the Falcons decelerated the aggressive style of offense Amherst wanted to play against Pacelli’s defense.
A defensive stop from Pacelli led to a play through the midfield. Flaker used his speed to win possession and snuck one into the net for his first goal of the game and a 2-1 advantage in the 19th minute.
The Falcons tied the game again after a miss-play by Pacelli deep in Amherst’s attacking third of the field.
Kazda floated one from way out and scored his second of the night, his 24th of the year, to tie the score 2-2.
After about 18 minutes of no scoring, Pacelli’s offense struck right before the halftime break.
In the 39th minute, another great pass met Flaker’s left foot, and he buried one in the bottom right corner for a 3-2 halftime lead.
A defensive and more physical second half turned into a low-scoring one.
Junior Sam Grabiec extended the Cardinals’ lead to two in the 58th minute, and the defense held onto that lead for the last 22 minutes of the game.
With the win, the Cardinals improved to 6-3 in the Central Wisconsin Conference and face Columbus Catholic, the CWC leaders, on the road on Thursday, Oct. 5, at 4:30 p.m.
Amherst fell to 7-3 and looks to bounce back at Northland Lutheran on Thursday, Oct. 5, at 4:30 p.m.
