High school soccer: Ocala Forest rallies to tie West Port and avoid first loss of season
It was West Port's game to lose down the stretch. The Wolf Pack led by two goals against Forest deep into the second half of Wednesday night's match and had all the momentum.
The Wildcats' sense of urgency peaked with their backs against the wall. It was time to put points on the board or suffer their first loss of the high school soccer season.
In the 86th minute, Brantley Wigginton sprinted down the field with the ball to score the first Forest goal. Three minutes later, senior Ryan Gorman knotted the game 2-2 - and that's the way it ended.
"A 2-0 lead in soccer is the worst lead to have because the next goal is crucial," West Port coach Robert Boland said. "If we get it, we're up three; if they get it, they have the momentum.
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West Port (3-3-2) picked up its second tie in three games. Forest (6-0-3) avoided its first loss for the second game in a row.
Let's dissect the game for a deeper look at the rivalry on the pitch.
Concerns for Forest?
Forest has tied Belleview and West Port to maintain a goose egg in the loss column. The Wildcats allowed their highest goal count of the season, which accounted for 40 percent of the goals scored on them this season.
The defense isn't the issue. Their defense in front of the goal was as good as it's been all year. Forest head coach Jason Wigginton boiled it down to a few possibilities.
"A little bit of laziness from our boys, lack of work ethics, not playing the formations we're telling them to play, not taking the opportunities from a lack of unselfishness, and not breaking the line," Wigginton said.
Forest needs to fix those habits on the fly to avoid losing that unbeaten streak.
Forest defense won't waver
When a team gives up multiple goals, you don't leave the field thinking how good the defense is. Those teams aren't Forest High School.
The Wildcats have talented defenders in their backfield, and they stepped up to limit shots Wednesday night. Collin Scroggie, Brandon Droese and Adrian Droese pushed West Port out of scoring territory. Goalkeeper Garrett Smith secured the box to turn down seven Wolf Pack scoring attempts.
West Port's two goals were the fourth and fifth scored on Forest this season. Three of the five have been on set plays. The others were penalties.
"We've definitely got to work on our set plays. Not much we can do about refs calling penalties," Wigginton said.
One of the Wolf Pack's goals came from a free kick courtesy of Antonio Mikedis. Senior captain Ericson Figueroa belted the other goal in on a penalty kick.
West Post passing is superb
West Port looked connected by a string in the match's opening minutes. The ball flowed across the field as the team advanced down the field.
When the Wolf Pack made fast decisions, they raced past a stellar Forest defense. The unselfish play is something Boland has stressed to his team.
"I really focus on the boys with one, two passing, and triangles. We try to move around the opposing team to exploit space," he said.
The technique allows West Port to overload an area. Once accomplished, West Port finds opportunities when it has the advantage of the numbers against the defense.
This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Forest Wildcats high school boys soccer ties West Port Wolf Pack
