Ravens Soar Past WACO
Hillcrest Ravens Soccer 6 WACO 2 April 10, 2025
Taking the field missing six players who were on a choir trip, the short-handed Ravens played well and persevered with limited substitutions to earn a 6-2 win over WACO. Going into the north wind didn’t seem to bother the Ravens as they applied immediate pressure on the WACO goal. Mason Bender beat a defender down the right side then slotted the ball to Rowan Miller. Miller sent the ball across the goal where Mason Helmuth was waiting to head the ball into the corner of the net and the 1-0 lead five minutes into the game.
The game settled down a bit as WACO worked to create some chances and the Ravens sometimes made things difficult for themselves, but the backline of Bryce Bailey, Isaac Birky and Beckett Slaubaugh along with defensive mids, Angel Sambrano and Kale Bailey made it difficult for WACO to create a sustained attack. The Ravens added to the score with 12 minutes left in the half when Mason Bender sent a crossing ball into the box where Rowan Miller turned the ball, sending it into the netting. WACO showed they weren’t done as they hit a cross to the backside where they fired it into the net and the 2-1 half-time score.
At halftime some slight adjustments to the line up were made to hopefully add to the score and preserve the lead. Fifteen minutes into the half Birky, now at a midfield spot sent the ball into the box where Seth Ours beat a defender and the goalie for his first goal of the season. Eight minutes later Jesse Blossom took the corner kick where Ours headed the ball into the net and the 4-1 lead. Blossom moved to a defensive mid position which helped solidify the Raven defense while providing some much needed offensive punch.
WACO showed they weren’t giving up as they created a goal with 14 minutes left to the half. This led to two more goals as the Ravens responded as Mason Helmuth got the ball to Birkey who notched his first goal of the season with 13 minutes on the clock. At the 11 minute mark Rowan Miller got the ball to Helmuth for his second goal of the night and the final score of 6-2. Kyle Neuschwander recorded six saves and also stopped numerous balls before they could become shots. Providing key minutes off the bench were Andrew Kaufman, Danny Meyers and Jaeven Oxley.
The Ravens are 2-1 overall, 1-1 in conference and are off until Thursday, April 17 when they host 1A powerhouse West Liberty with a 4:00 pm start time.
