By NICHOLAS GAINEY
Special to TopSports.news
In a battle of city rivals, the Topeka High School boys soccer team overcame a halftime deficit to earn a 2-1 victory over Seaman on Tuesday night at Hummer Sports Park.
Antonio Aguirre scored the game-winning goal Tuesday night in Topeka High's 2-1 soccer win over city rival Seaman. [File photo/TSN]
Topeka High senior Jaime Alvarado (13) scored the Trojans' first goal in Tuesday's 2-1 soccer win over Seaman. [File photo/TSN]
The Trojans put pressure on the visiting Vikings in the opening minutes, with Antonio Aguirre receiving a through pass and taking the ball down the left side of the penalty box. Aguirre did not get enough power on the ensuing shot attempt, resulting in a save for freshman goalkeeper Landon Geis.
After the initial scare, the Vikings settled in and the two teams traded possession and offensive opportunities.
The momentum shifted in favor of Seaman in the 18th minute, when the Vikings broke away from the Trojan back line and earned a one-on-one opportunity with goalkeeper Billy Lutz, who fouled a Viking attacker outside the box while attempting to clear the ball.
Lutz was initially shown the red card for denial of a goal-scoring opportunity, but the card was downgraded to yellow after further discussion by the referees.
Despite being denied a numerical advantage, Seaman still earned a free kick in a dangerous location.
Kaelin Loy initially approached the ball, but faked a shot attempt to distract the Trojan wall, while Logan Townsend came in and put a powerful strike on the ball to put the Vikings up 1-0.
After trailing at halftime, Topeka High opened the second half with a renewed offensive push.
The Trojans finally equalized the match in the 47th minute, when Ian Martinez played a through ball to Jaime Alvarado, who used his speed to track down the ball near the left post and score on a close-range attempt.
The 1-1 deadlock was threatened only a few minutes later, when the ball popped up in the Trojans’ penalty box.
Seaman’s Cody Quy jostled for position with Lutz, with both players falling to the turf. The Vikings seemed to have an open chance at the goal, but Trojan defenders were able to clear the ball away to prevent Seaman from taking their second lead of the evening.
With the game inching closer to overtime, the Trojans snatched the lead in the 71st minute, when Aguirre found an opening in the Seaman defense and scored to put his team up 2-1.
The Vikings nearly tied the game again in the closing seconds, but a shot attempt from senior Bradley Williamson went just past the right post, giving Topeka a nerve-wracking victory.
The Trojans took 16 shots in the contest, with seven coming on goal.
Aguirre led the team with five shots, while Alvarado took four attempts. Lutz made two saves in goal for Topeka High.
Seaman took 11 shots in the match, with four of them hitting the target.
Loy led the Vikings on offense, tallying three shot attempts. Geis stopped five shots in net for Seaman.
After losing two of their last three matches, Trojans coach Derek Snook encouraged his team to take what they have talked about and apply it on the field.
“We’ve talked a good game. We’ve talked about the things that got us to where we had been before,” Snook said. “We talked about it, but we weren’t performing it on the field. We had to get back to basics, using each other, looking for the assist, looking for a pass, and just finding each other, playing for one another.”
The Trojans have a quick turnaround, returning to Hummer Sports Park on Wednesday for a rematch with Topeka West.
The Chargers defeated the Trojans 2-1 on Oct. 3, but Snook believes that a win is achievable if the Trojans play their style of soccer.
“(Topeka West) did a great job of taking us out of our game and the way we like to play,” Snook said. “It’s always a great game with them. They’ve gotten us the last three games we’ve played them, but we haven’t played our game. That’s a testament to the way they’ve played against us.”
Seaman will return to action on Thursday, hosting Washburn Rural at home.
TOPEKA HIGH 2, SEAMAN1
Seaman (7-6-0) 1 0 -- 1
Topeka High (11-3-0) 0 2 -- 2
Seaman -- Goal: Townsend.
Topeka High -- Goals: Alvarado, Aguirre. Assist: Martinez
