Opelika goalkeeper Eduardo Moran had a busy night in Auburn’s 5-0 win on Thursday, March 16.
BY NOAH GRIFFITH
FOR THE OBSERVER
AUBURN —
The Auburn High School boys soccer team had a daunting stretch of four straight losses and a tie to stiff non-region competition, but things turned in its favor in a 5-0 win at Opelika on Thursday, March 16.
The losses came to Columbus (1-0), Montgomery (6-1), Hillgrove of Powder Springs, Georgia (3-0), St. Pius X Catholic of Atlanta (2-0), and then Auburn tied with LaGrange, Georgia (2-2), before getting back in the win column.
“We came into this season, and we wanted to load up our schedule with some of the best competition we can,” said head coach Bill Ferguson.
Improving to 5-5-2 and 2-0 in region play following last Thursday’s game, the Tigers controlled possession of the ball nearly the entire game, which was a continuation of the dominance they have displayed in region play. They have yet to allow a goal to a region opponent, and that is their third shutout of the season.
With eight games — four of them region matchups — remaining on the schedule, Auburn has plenty of chances to boost its winning percentage, but Ferguson said he believes the tough competition his team fought through early in the season will help shape his team as the playoffs loom.
“We’re learning,” Ferguson said. “We still have a lot of new players, especially on the guys’ side. We replaced the back six, so we’re still getting comfortable together and getting in rhythm. It’s been great, man. We’re only going to keep getting better.”
It helps to have senior midfielder Cade Edwards back in the lineup after temporarily foregoing school ball to play with MLS’s “Next” program in Hoover, Alabama, during his junior year.
After the shutout ofthe rival Bulldogs, Ferguson bragged on No. 17, who’s started on varsity since he was in eighth grade.
“On both sides of the ball, [Edwards] was really dominant,” Ferguson said. “Just a joy to see him on the field for us. He’s a great kid. Proud of the way he played tonight.”
Edwards explained after the game that the team tried a new formation against the Bulldogs that worked to perfection. The team has done that quite a bit this season, as Ferguson said in an interview in February that the team also ran a new formation in the season-opening loss to Dothan.
After the Tigers lost in the quarterfinals last year to Davidson, they will look to catch fire late in the season and keep their confidence as they search for the game plan that allows them to execute most efficiently.
“One of the biggest things is patience,” Ferguson explained. “Like, we knew that the way we built our schedules is not so we worry about how many games we could win, it was to make sure we’re the best team we could be at the end of the year. I think our kids are really buying into that. I think they’re learning to trust each other and to learn from mistakes, but also celebrate each other.”