It was a back-and-forth affair between the Holtville and Wetumpka boy soccer teams with emotion running high.
However, a late goal by the Indians sealed the fate for the Bulldogs eventually falling 3-2. Gavin Weaver accounted for the Bulldogs first score of the day in the first half while Tyler Wesson accounted for the second. Despite the end result not what he had hoped for, head soccer coach Luke Fussell commended his team’s play.
“I saw my guys giving great effort today and just playing our blue-collar style of soccer, and that's what we got to have going forward,” Fussell said. “I'm proud of our guys the way they competed, the way they kept their composure throughout the game when things were going, the way they played as a team. I couldn't be more proud of our team.”
Wetumpka held control for most of the game, scoring early in the first half thanks to a penalty kick and continued from there. Even with the deficit, Fussell knows his team is not going to buckle or yield in the face of adversity.
“I think it says a lot to like what's within them, they're all fighters,” Fussell said. “But also, I think it says even more so, the trust they have in each other as teammates. It feels like we're hitting our strides as a team with chemistry in order that things don't go away. Which is what I think any coach could ever ask for out of a team, and I'm just very fortunate to be able to coach these teams without a doubt.”
Fussell knows that chemistry is going to play dividends going into the meat of its area schedule. Holtville will face a three game stretch with two games against Brewtech and one against Elmore County, vying for a spot in the playoffs.
“I want to see us play with the same mentality that we did tonight, no matter the circumstances, we're going to play hard,” Fussell said. “We're going to play for each other, and that's it. At the end of the day, I couldn't ask for anything more. I want to see some guys who are role players step up and really feel into that role as they have, and continue to do so. I think that that's going to be really good for us going forward, we understand our role at this point and really leaning into that as a player.”
