DECATUR -- The Decatur Bulldogs, coming off of a two-game winning streak, narrowly lost their conference match with the Huntsville Eagles April 26 at Bulldog Stadium in Decatur.
The Eagles came into the Decatur match with a 4 and 3 conference record, compared to the Bulldogs 2 and 5.
Decatur started a little sluggish in the first 40 minutes, going on the defensive for most of the half. David Lopez, goal keeper for Decatur, repelled several Huntsville scoring attempts before giving up a goal at around the 20 minute mark in the first half. The Eagles scored one more time on a corner shot with 5 minutes left to play, leading the Bulldogs 2 to 0 going into the break.
The Bulldogs gained more intensity as they went on the offensive in the second half. Lopez was moved to forward and replaced by Sebastian Perez as goal keeper. Perez struggled several times to foil Huntsville's scoring attempts. The Decatur defensive backfield went to Perez' aid, repelling several Huntsville scoring attempts and clearing the ball away from the goal.
At the halfway mark of the second half, Jose Puga (captain) made a beautiful kick to the right corner of the net for Decatur's first score. The Bulldogs continued their attacks on the Eagles' net through the remainder of the game. With only two minutes left, the Bulldogs attempted to score three times unsuccessfully before time ran out. Huntsville took the win, 2 to 1.
"We had a lot of energy in the second half," said Barry James, Decatur soccer coach." I wish we had that energy the entire game. I think we had this game in hand. But two defensive errors cost us the game. I continue to see progress in every game."
The Bulldogs are now 2, 10 and 1 overall and 2 and 6 in conference play going into the final two games of the season.
For a list of remaining Decatur soccer matches, go to decatursd.com/athletics/soccer.
Sports on 05/04/2016