Bearcats' backup starts Falcons' demise
By Michael Orr

Brookland- Cayce junior forward Eduardo Adam dribbles around A.C. Flora senior defender Jay Knudson.

Led by juniors Eduardo Adam and Cristoph Holzwarth, Brookland - Cayce blitzed A.C. Flora 4- 0 at Bolden Stadium on March 10. Adam opened the game's scoring and Holzwarth helped the Bearcats control the possession and pace of the match from start to finish.

Brookland- Cayce (2- 0) dominated possession in the early minutes of the game using quality touches and near- perfect passing to set up shots on goal. While no goals resulted from the early Bearcat push, the tone was set for the entire game. Midway through the half, A.C. Flora's Chris Muthig was tackled in the box by B.C. keeper Chris Duzan, resulting in a yellow card and a penalty kick. Despite having been outplayed to that point, the Falcons had a chance to earn the game's first goal. Duzan was forced to sit the penalty kick out as backup goalie Rico Jackson ran onto the pitch to try to keep the score tied at zero. Muthig's kick was hard and on the ground but Jackson made a diving save. The Bearcats were pumped full of enthusiasm and Jackson received a standing ovation upon exiting the field.

Photos by Morgen Orr Brookland- Cayce junior back-up keeper Rico Jackson denies A.C. Flora's Chris Muthig a penalty kick in the first half.

Taking advantage of the momentum boost, the Bearcats scored two goals in the next three minutes. Adam slid under a bending cross by Chris Pinner to put the Bearcats ahead, 1- 0 and Brodie Wall headed in a free kick by Holzwarth to increase the lead to two. The onslaught of offense continued through the rest of the half with the Bearcats attacking the goal at every opportunity. Though B.C. was unable to score again in the first half, the offensive pressure kept A.C. Flora on the defensive and prevented any sustained offense on the part of the Falcons.

The Bearcats wasted no time adding to their tally in the second half as Jose Guzman scored on a rebound from a booming Robby Setzler shot off of a corner kick. A minute and a half later, Wall scored again on a sneaky shot that slipped past Flora keeper Max McEachern into the front right corner of the net, pushing B.C. to a 4- 0 lead. B.C. subbed many of its starters with nearly 30 minutes left in the game, earning valuable competitive minutes for the reserves.

Photo by Morgen Orr A.C. Flora junior defender Corey McDonald clears the ball as his defensive teammates look on.

A.C. Flora (0- 4) was not able to mount any kind of offensive consistency until the game's final 12 minutes. Behind valiant efforts of freshman Cameron Wegrzyn and sophomore Alex Richards on the offensive end and senior defender Jay Knudsen, the Falcons battered the Bearcats defense with shots on goal and unending pressure. Flora was unable to convert on key free kick opportunities late in the game and was ultimately kept from scoring, preserving the Bearcats' 4- 0 victory.