The Ocean High School seniors on the boys' soccer team made sure their last game on their home field was a memorable one.
The No. 2 Red Raiders, whose entire starting lineup is made up of seniors, scored two early goals en route a 3-0 win over No. 3 Lacey Township on Tuesday afternoon in the Group III South semifinals.
The win was Ocean City's eighth straight shutout win and put the Red Raiders in the sectional finals. Ocean City will travel to No. 1 Timber Creek, which defeated No. 5 Seneca, 4-0, in the other semifinal game.
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"The guys came out and realized the weight of the game, and they knew that this is their last game on this field," Ocean City coach Aaron Bogushefsky said. "Having 11 senior starters, that meant a lot to them. They were determined to get on top right away."
Andrew Kimball opened the scoring in the third minute, and Steve Zellers added his first of two goals less than two minutes later with an assist from Connor Hart.
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"I think our game plan was superior and our execution was superior," Bogushefsky said. "Balls that went by the net all year went in the net in the beginning."
Taking a commanding lead less than five minutes into the game didn't mean that the Red Raiders cruised past the Lions.
Lacey, a Shore Conference squad, pressured Ocean City to get back into the game, however, the Red Raiders defense and keeper Kieran Keyser held their ground.
Ocean City continued to keep opponents off the scoreboard. The Red Raiders have outscored the opposition, 9-0, in the playoffs.
Ocean City hasn't lost a game since late September, and hasn't allowed a goal in nine games, a streak that started after a 2-2 tie on Oct. 13.
"Our defense played amazing. They have been playing off the chart," Bogushefsky said. "(Kieran) made many stops today. With that sun it is so hard to see and he made some unbelievable saves today. He kept us in it for sure."
Zellers added his second goal with just 1:28 left in the game on an assist by Keyser.
Ocean City has two full days to prepare for a Timber Creek it faced in last year's playoffs. Timber Creek won a second round matchup, 5-3. However, Ocean City believes they are a better team this season, especially the way it has been playing as of late.
"It has been a three-year process," Bogushefsky said. "They were sophomores when I took over and I said I'm going to build a team around this group. All the work they put in is paying off now."
