Pine School denies Canterbury boys soccer for third time in 1A title game
· Yahoo Sports
Canterbury found itself snake bitten again by a familiar foe in what's become a familiar stage.
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Pine School, which denied the Cougars in the 2022 and 2023 state title games, did so again in Auburndale on Saturday night, Feb. 21.
The Knights (22-0-2) capped off a perfect season, beating Canterbury 2-0 in the Class 1A Championship Game to secure the program's fourth state title in five years.
The first 20 minutes was a culmination of ball control and quality offensive possessions for Pine, driving downfield and pushing numbers into the box. The Cougars (18-3-3) had a solid answer for them early on, compressing numbers tight to force the Knights into tight spots.
The first quality look of the match came in the 15th minute, with precise interior passing that had the Cougars on the back foot. It ultimately didn't result in a goal, but that started the onslaught of chances that would come after the water break.
In the 28th minute after a turnover off a goal kick, Pine finally capitalized. A string of quick passes set up Benjamin Blanco on a give-and-go, beating Tomas Hegedus near side to go up 1-0.
After that goal, things stayed relatively stable in the first half, before things were forced to change for the Cougars in the final 40.
In the 55th minute, Hegedus nearly got caught cheating up on a shot from distance, forcing him to leap to send it over the goal. Nothing came of the ensuing corner, and the Cougars lacked a counterattack throughout the match.
Once Canterbury started to push numbers up late, the Knights grabbed a second goal off a pass from midfield that was headed by a Canterbury defender, and volleyed in the air by a Pine player, beating Hegedus from short range to put the game away.
It marked the last game for a handful of Cougars seniors, including Max Pearson, James Tomlinson, Diego Bazan, Tristan Chaoui, Norbert Hegedus, and Ryan Powers.
Follow Sports Reporter Alex Martin on X: @NP_AlexMartin. For the best sports coverage in Southwest Florida, follow @newspresssports and @ndnprepzone on Instagram.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Pine School denies Canterbury again in Class 1A boys soccer title game