Despite missing four players to injury and the fatigue that comes from back-to-back weekend tournaments, the Bryan boys soccer team found a way to win Saturday as the Vikings defeated Killeen Shoemaker 2-0 at Merrill Green Stadium.
It was a gritty and gutty effort for both teams with scoring opportunities hard to find. The Vikings had just seven shots on goal, and both of their goals didn’t come until late in the second half, but they were enough to push Bryan’s season-opening winning streak to nine games.
The Vikings turned to their senior class to step up, and it delivered. Seniors Kelvin Zelaya and Andrew Shields each scored for Bryan, while classmate Isidro Muñoz and junior Yexon Diaz each had an assist.
Along with getting goals from the seniors, the Viking defense was led by its seniors. Captain and defender Alex Vasilakis and goalkeeper Josue Gonzalez made a big difference for the Vikings on the backline.
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“Having our captain Alex Vasilakis there helped us a lot guiding [the backline]Bryan head coach Carlos Luna said. “Our goalie’s our quarterback. He’s always talking to everybody. Just having that leadership in the back with those two seniors is always helpful whenever we’re shorthanded and we bring in new players to help us out.”
The Vikings were unable to crack the Shoemaker defense in the first half. Their two best scoring chances came late in the half as Diaz had a free kick bounce off the crossbar while junior Skrivanek Flores had another shot attempt to do the same.
Zelaya broke the tie in the 62nd minute, dribbling down the left side of the field before sending one past the keeper and into the right side of the net.
“I talk to the guys a lot about mentality,” Luna said. “It is a mental game. I put in the mentality part of it a lot. It does a lot on high schoolers. Unfortunately even for [coaches] too. They see a goal, and the mentality is either going to get you up or just shut you down. We needed that first one to see how they would take it … if we were going to be able to keep on pressing more by bringing them down with that one goal.”
The Vikings added another goal in the 71st minute as a long free kick was batted down and away by the Shoemaker goalkeeper and right in front of Shields. The senior tapped it in to add to Bryan’s lead.
The Vikings made it through nondistrict play with a perfect record and will have 10 days off before starting District 12-6A on Jan. 24 at home against Temple.
“That is going to be our test,” Luna said. “I feel good about what we have now, our starting 11. I feel that we are prepared for district, and we go back to the mentality. I hope we bring the mentality to our first district game. The good thing is that it will be at home, but being Temple, it’s always a rivalry against Temple. Like I told them, from now on every game we have coming up is a rivalry. It’s district, and everyone’s trying to [win the title].”
NOTES — In other Saturday action at Merrill Green Stadium, the Lady Vikings won 3-1 over Killeen. The Rudder boys soccer team defeated Palestine Westwood 5-0, and the Lady Rangers lost to Bastrop 9-2.
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