Newberry Boys Soccer Falls in District Quarterfinals

The Newberry High School boys soccer team’s season ended with a 6-2 loss to Ocala Trinity Catholic in the first round of the Class 3A-District 4 tournament on Jan. 25. 

Newberry Preparing for Uncertainty 

Three years ago, Trinity Catholic joined Newberry High School in District 3A-D4, but the teams met for just the first time in their history on that Thursday night. Coming into this game, the Newberry boys team were 11-7-1, a stark contrast to Trinity Catholic’s 5-5-2 record. Despite the discrepancy, Panthers coach Jon Doles expressed concern over such an unfamiliar foe.

“I just don’t know what to make of 5-5, I know that they’ve put a quality product on the field in the past and we need to keep our heads on and watch how we play them tonight,” he said. 

That sentiment was echoed by team captain Keegan Lowry.

“It’s just another unknown variable,” Lowry said. “We’re going to play a little bit more reserved in the beginning, but everyone has a weak spot so once we figure it out we’ll take advantage.”

Even in the face of such adversity, the team kept warm-ups focused on winning its first playoff game in three years. In the huddle, Doles urged his boys to “prepare your mind.”

Impassioned Start

Trinity Catholic came out with a bang, overwhelming the Panthers’ game plan to start the game cautiously. Only the strong and aggressive defense led by junior Eli Hunter staved off the Celtics.

Feeding off the energy of the crowd, the players on both sides quickly turned aggressive and chippy with each other. Eventually something had to give, and the Celtics were awarded a free kick only 10 minutes into the match. The crowd held its breath until freshman goalie Caeden Montague made the save.

Six minutes later, a prolonged rally around the box resulted in a Celtics goal with 26:27 left in the first half. 

The goal seemed to enliven the Celtics offense even further, continuing their momentum upon the restart. Near the midway point of the first half, the team earned four consecutive corner kicks, but the Newberry defense of Montague, Zane Spires and Dustin Earl was able to withstand the storm. 

Captain Lowry

The Celtics were loud and bold in their communication, a fact that seemed to get under the skin of the Panthers, who started playing with desperation. Finally, it was time for the Panthers’ big break when Lucas Nowels made a big drive toward the goal with 9:50 still to go in the half. Cheers erupted from the crowd as Nowels was fouled in the box, and the Panthers were awarded with a penalty kick. The whole team knew who would take it.

“He’s an incredibly gifted technical player,” Doles said of Lowry. Lowry chipped the ball toward the right as the Celtics goalie dove toward the left. Just like that, it was a tied game at 1-1. 

Just as suddenly as the game evened out, the Celtics made a fast-break goal, racing past a defense struggling to get back on transition. The goal once again put the Panthers down a goal at 2-1 with 5:58 left in the half.

Then just 90 seconds later, they scored again, making the score 3-1 just before halftime. 

A Slippery Slope

In the huddle, the aggressive style of the match seemed to take its toll on the Panthers.

“The whole roster needs to lock in. We need to go hard like a concrete block on these boys because they’re coming at you,” Doles said.

As the game resumed, the Panthers seemed to take those words to heart. All of a sudden, the teams shots on goal multiplied. At the 10-minute mark, after an out of bounds play, Lowry threw in a strong pass that Ollivander Hunter tipped into the goal to bring NHS within 3-2. 

Not long after, Nowels nearly made a header that barely floated over the crossbar. The game appeared far from over.

Throughout all the offensive looks, Montague continued to make saves, particularly off risky corner kicks. 

The turning point came when Newberry got called for a handball in its box with only 6:15 left of play. The Celtics capitalized on the penalty kick to make the score 4-2.

In rapid fire succession, the Celtics scored a screamer straight into the top left corner and then again at 1:17 to make it a 6-2 game. 

Newberry Looking Forward

When the final whistle blew, it signaled the end of Newberry’s season. The scene was emotional, with numerous players shedding tears.

“Overall, we had a fantastic season,” Doles said. “I’m proud of all my players. Ultimately, seeing the players develop from the beginning to the end is my personal goal and I feel we’ve accomplished that ‘why’.”

With no seniors on the team, Newberry’s underclassmen will get another opportunity to lead the team to their first playoff run in what will be four years, and in the hopes of Spires, “Putting effort into accomplishing something that this team has never done before.”