HART – It was a rough night on the soccer pitch for Hart boys soccer Monday, Aug. 25 as the Pirates fell 3-0 to last year’s runner-up in the West Michigan Conference (WMC), Ludington.
Hart started the game out challenging the Orioles, but never truly gained quality possessions near the net. Adrian and Adriel Belmares, Hart’s brotherly duo, paired well together up top, finding each other often at midfield. Unfortunately, Ludington’s defense had that figured out quickly, crashing their defense to keep either of the Belmares brothers from earning a dangerous look at their keeper.
Defensively, Hart was able to lock down Ludington in the first half. The Orioles routinely pounded the ball into the corners on the Pirates’ defensive half, with plenty of corner kicks to boot. Emiliano Escamilla, Joseph Osorio-Espinoza and Liam Larios-Mendez turned away look after look for Ludington, while Miguel Escamilla made several critical saves.
Eventually, Ludington found their way onto the scoreboard, taking a 1-0 lead near the end of the first half. That goal came on a corner kick opportunity where Orioles’ Austin Reed lofted a ball to the center of the net. After bouncing off Steele Stowe, teammate Ethan Sweet finished it to put Ludington in front.
The second half was far more dominant for Ludington, resulting in a pair of additional goals on the scoreboard.
Ludington got things rolling immediately, scoring in the first 10 minutes, courtesy of sophomore Ayden Eaton. Eaton scored again less than a minute after his first goal, pushing the lead to 3-0 where it stood for the remainder of the game.
Hart attempted to mount an offensive attack, but appeared gassed at times with limited players available to spell starters.
The Pirates fell to 0-3-1 overall on the season, starting off 0-1 in the WMC. The Pirates will take on Whitehall after the holiday weekend on Wednesday Sept. 3.
