Blue Devils Fall Short in Gateway Final

Fabrizio Gowdy | Jan. 18, 2020 | Sports

The Fletcher High School Senators won the boys soccer Gateway Conference Championship with a 5-1 win over the Stanton College Prep Blue Devils on Friday.

Despite game time temperatures in the low 60s and wind gusts peaking at over 20 miles per hour, the largest home crowd of the year, including scores of students, came out to support the Blue Devils in their quest for their first Gateway title since 2015.

The Senators clearly had the upper hand from the start, forcing Stanton senior goalkeeper Andrew Zalewa to make three saves in the first 10 minutes of the game. Fletcher finally managed to get past Zalewa in the 11th minute, when senior Van Slabicki scored from the right side.

“They were just better than us. You can’t hide the difference in quality,” said Stanton head Coach Steve Stone.

The remainder of the first half was scoreless, although both sides had multiple opportunities. The 27th minute saw a long Fletcher shot bounce precariously off the crossbar. Meanwhile, Stanton junior midfielder Miles Andre and senior midfielder Daniel Poorian each had shots that sailed mere inches over the crossbar in the waning moments of the half.

The defensive battle that was the first half soon gave way to offensive fireworks in the second half. In the 46th minute, Fletcher took a 2-0 lead when a Stanton effort to clear the ball from deep in the box resulted in an own goal. 

The Blue Devils struck back almost immediately when they were awarded a free kick in the 47th minute. From 40 yards out, Stanton sophomore striker Joseph Alberto played a near-perfect ball into the box, where junior striker Brandon Diaz came out of nowhere to score a header goal. 

The home crowd came alive, but the excitement was short lived, as Fletcher defensive back Connor Moore scored in the 50th minute. Midfielder Brian Schaefer added another Senator goal in the 57th minute on a long free kick, sneaking the ball just inside the left post and past the arms of an outstretched Andrew Zalewa.

A final Fletcher goal by midfielder Zachary Tretler in the 75th minute made it a 5-1 game. Despite being disappointed with the result, Coach Stone says he is happy with how hard the team played to reach the championship in the first place.

“I’m proud of how far we got and how many games we played,” said Coch Stone.

Fletcher (11-2), wins its second title in three years. The season is not over for the Blue Devils (12-4-1), who begin their postseason with districts later this month. Stanton's next match is at Providence High School on Jan. 23.