KFDM COOP Posted March 16, 2008 Report Posted March 16, 2008 Bear booters almost stun Lumberton Gary Bonneaux The Orange Leader LUMBERTON — The anticipated match-up between the third place Little Cypress-Mauriceville Bears soccer team and the undefeated Lumberton Raiders proved to a thrilling experience to spectators on both sides of the field on Friday night. The game displayed two of the districts finest teams at the top of their respective games. And the Bears were "this close" to winning the game. Unfortunately, they had to settle for a 3-3 tie before losing the shootout 4-3 to the Raiders. "This close" meant that the Bears scored their third goal for a 3-2 lead with 13 minutes left in game. Co-captain Logan Tarver was responsible for giving the Bears their only lead of the game as he made a difficult header after elevating high in traffic to make contact with the ball. Head Coach Matt Wedel describe Tarver's goal as "the prettiest header we have had this year. When he hit it, there was no doubt that the ball was going in the goal". The Bears braced themselves for an offensive flurry from the Raiders. The teams battled back and forth as the Bears successfully defended their goal. But at the five-minute mark, a Raiders forward was fouled in the Bears' penalty box. Two-time district MVP, Brent Waldrup, nailed the penalty kick for Lumberton to tie the game at three goals apiece. The game remained tied for the remainder of regulation and through two frantic periods of overtime. The game then moved to the shootout. Co-captain Craig Leger, juniors Colt Arteaga, and Ben O'Fiel connected on their shootout attempts. The Raiders made their first three shots in the shootout. Co-captain goalie Ethan McKay then kept the Raiders out of the goal for their next four shot attempts. The Raiders' eighth shot provided the victory for the home team. Coach Wedel was happy with the team's performance. "My team played great. We were playing an undefeated team and we gave them all they could handle", said Wedel. "Lumberton is a phenomenal team." "We all played well" said Wedel. Fortunately, several individuals elevated their game to keep the Bears in a good position to win the game. After the Raiders scored first in the 11th minute, junior Seth Arteaga received a pass from Leger and dribbled through two Raider defenders. Then, Arteaga drilled the ball past the Raider goalie to tie the game at 1-1 at the 13-minute mark. "Seth's goal was a beautiful shot", noted Wedel. The Raiders answered back with a breakaway goal two minutes later. The first half ended with the Raiders leading 2-1. The Bears came back strong to start the second half. Junior Brett Heil drove deep into Lumberton territory, fought through several defenders, and then fired a hard shot on goal. When the ball bounced off a Lumberton defender, Leger kicked the rebound into the back of the net. "Brett made a great drive", Wedel commented. "It was crucial and led to a goal. Brett was the star of the game for us. He played on defense and then moved forward to offense. He worked hard all night long", said Wedel. The game remainded tied until Tarver's header at the 27-minute mark to give the Bears a 3-2 lead. Then, the Raiders' penalty kick with five minutes left tied the game at 3-3. Lumberton Coach Chad Luttrull spoke highly of the Bears' team. "LC-M is a great team. They fought hard tonight. It was an exciting game. My hat goes of to Coach Wedel and his team." Friday night's game moves the Bears record to 10-3-4. The Bears earned one point for the tie. The Bears can earn a trip to the playoffs with a win in their district finale against Ozen on Tuesday at home. Wedel likes his team's chance against Ozen and is confident that the Bears will be ready to play.
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