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BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS
Sports Editor, RTC
ARGOS — The execution did not match the effort for the Argos boys soccer team against Lakeland Christian in the Class 1A, Sectional 36 final at Argos’ Eugene Snyder Field Saturday.
And it led to a historic loss.
Jashawn Zelasko had a goal and an assist, and Jay Kwon scored the game-winner with 5:17 left to lift Lakeland Christian to a 2-1 win.
Lakeland Christian improved to 14-5 and won their first sectional title in school history. Their student section charged the field to embrace their players as soon as time expired.
Kenyan Beldon on a direct kick with 14:58 left scored for Argos, who finished 9-6-1.
Even though Argos had the better of possession time and limited Lakeland Christian to three shots on goal, it was not enough to prevail.
“I thought we were excellent in that part of the game,” Argos coach Todd VanDerWeele said about the team’s possession time. “I thought we were less than clinical in getting results out of that possession.”
Argos had won 12 sectional titles in the previous 13 seasons prior to Saturday, and they had never lost a Class 1A sectional game since the start of class soccer in 2011. They also had never lost a sectional game at home since the start of class soccer.
VanDerWeele said that his players were easy to defend at times.
“First half, they were throwing their bodies in front of everything,” VanDerWeele said. “But they threw their bodies in front of us thinking we were going to shoot, and then we didn’t fake once. We shot every time. So it made it easy. Second half, we played a little smarter. I think we were unlucky not to score before Kenyan’s free kick, which was brilliant. But it’s just not enough.
“We just had a little bit of a breakdown. We had them for three shots on goal, but they put two of them in the net. They executed off our mistakes, and that’s what a good team does in those situations.”
Zelasko scored the game’s opening goal when he tracked down Eli Clemens’ centering pass near the goal line and beat Argos goalkeeper Boyd Paul in the game’s seventh minute.
“I think there was some lack of communication,” VanDerWeele said. “I don’t think it was miscommunication. I think it was lack of communication. Boyd thought the defenders were going to clear it. The defenders thought Boyd was going to clear it. Boyd kind of came out, and Zelasko just snuck in and poked it in. That’s kind of what I saw. He was a little quicker reading that situation than we were, and we got punished for it.
“Lakeland was a little overmatched to some degree, but they did everything they had to do. They played us very well.”
Beldon’s goal skidded past Lakeland Christian keeper Braden Weirick inside the near post. VanDerWeele later said it was Beldon’s best effort of the season.
But less than 10 minutes later, Zaiden Miller dribbled diagonally through the middle of the pitch and dished off to Zelasko, who sent a centering a pass that Kwon tapped into an open net.
“We tried to dribble out of pressure,” VanDerWeele said. “We had dealt with the attack before, but instead of just punching it down the field, I think we tried to dribble, and then they dispossessed us – outside, quick, back inside, boom. We defended well all night, but we did not defend well on that play.”
The season marked a return to the pitch for VanDerWeele, who has been Argos’ coach since 2009. He missed Argos’ run to the regional semifinals after being diagnosed with colon cancer. He coached the entire season, occasionally needing a cane to help with walking.
“I didn’t know how this year would go,” VanDerWeele said. “Honestly, I was really worried about fatigue. There were a few weeks toward the end of the regular season I was struggling physically – just tired, I just wanted to sleep. But I had a good time this year coaching these guys. We didn’t get as far in the tournament as we wanted to do, but we came a long way. We won as many games this year as we did the last two years combined. I don’t think we’re in a bad spot. We just think we need to work to get back over that hump where we’ve been.”
He said he loves the competition as much as ever. He said he missed the “camaraderie” and relationships with the kids while he underwent treatment.
“I don’t want to say humbling because I never take them for granted,” VanDerWeele said. “Even tonight, I knew that this was going to be a dogfight. I coached against (Lakeland Christian coach) Dan Miller for 10 years, and I know he’s a very good coach, and I knew his team would be well prepared, and they were. I don’t know if it’s necessarily humbling, but it’s definitely time to reevaluate what’s worked and what’s not right now. We’ve got to get back to the drawing board and get back to the things that we used to do when we were successful and winning.”
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