Lake Braddock Boys Soccer: Dream Season Comes to a Foul End

The Bruins unbelievable run through the postseason ended in dramatic fashion Friday night, as they hung around until overtime down a man, then gave up a goal following a second red card to lose 2-1 to Deep Run in the state semi-finals. Despite being on the unlucky side of some very influential officiating, the Bruins looked to be the dominant team throughout, but a few mental lapses at key moments proved to be the difference.

The Bruins came ready to play, and in the first half clearly seemed to be the more tactical, technical, and cohesive unit. They had an array of chances on goal, including two headers that hit the post and crossbar. Their opponents resorted to the deep ball threat, and were eventually rewarded with a breakaway goal. 

The Bruins went into the halftime break down 1-0, but looked poised for another second half comeback.  Just 3 minutes into the second half, the Bruins had the equalizer off the foot of their postseason playmaker Matt Fraedrich. 

“Ricky Crump and I made good eye contact,” Fraedrich explained. “He knew the run I was going to make and gave me the ball I needed to put it in and get us back in the game.”

But nearly as soon as fortune shifted in their favor, disaster struck. When a Deep Run striker broke past the center back and onto a through ball at midfield, captain Christian Kosko was the only player with a hope of stopping him before a one-on-one chance similar to the one that conceded the first goal. Kosko tracked him down and went for the tackle, but when his slide sent the Wildcat player sprawling to the turf, the referee had no choice but to issue the red card.

“I didn’t have a great angle,” Dunn admitted. “But I saw him go down, so if Christian didn’t get the ball than I guess it makes sense.”

The Bruins shouldered the responsibility as a team and refused to let the officials put them out of their game, and Dunn led the way. The senior defender made a spirited 30-yard run right into the heart of the Wildcat defense before putting the shot just over the bar. Moments later, when his free kick was headed out by a Wildcat defender, Dunn lined up for a 35-yard half volley that beamed the crossbar.

“Whenever you go down a man, you get into the state of mind that you need to work harder, give it that extra 10 percent," Dunn said.

It was clear he wasn’t the only Bruin that felt that way. The Ortiz brothers continued to link up with Fraedrich to keep the pressure on the Wildcat defense. The center back duo of Tyler Durbin and Ricky Crump won countless 50/50 balls and tracked down every thru ball to keep the Wildcat offense at bay. Junior Reynaldo Pastor and freshman Alejandro Flores gave heroic performances in the stead of their red-carded captain.

“They were two smallest kids on the field, going up and willing balls out of the air,” Dunn applauded. “The younger guys went out there and played for the seniors, and gave it all their heart.  I‘m really proud of all of them.”

Although the Bruins looked to be in control of the game, they were unable to get the winning goal in regulation, and the teams braced for overtime. 

Early in the first overtime period, an unfortunate mishandle by keeper Aaron Fausser, who stepped in for Patrick Clark late in the second half, gave the ball away to a Deep Run striker inside the 6-yard-box with an empty. The Junior keeper then did the only thing he could do, which was bring the striker down before he knocked in the go ahead goal. The foul earned him a red card, and the ensuing score on the penalty kick meant the Bruins would have to attempt the last minute comeback with only 9 men.

The Bruins gave it all they could until the final whistle, but it was not to be. In a last minute controversy, the Wildcats refused to throw the ball in with time ticking away, and when the clock finally reached 0:00, a skirmish broke out on the field that resulted in a third Bruin red card. But still there is no taking away from Lake Braddock’s terrific season, rising from obscurity to finish one game away from a chance at the state title.

“We got this far,” Fraedrich reflected. “We played hard and came together as a family.  None of us will ever forget this season.”