Amid the blowing winds and bright stadium lights, the Academy boys’ soccer team defeated the Grandview Bobcats 2-1 this past Saturday, October 27, in the District championship. After getting off to a rough start, with the Bobcats’ early goal within the first ten minutes, the Vikings rallied for the second part of the half, and the tides turned to favor Academy when Tim Leathery’15 and Jake Tuckerman’14 each put one in the back of the net.

Tuckerman, the team’s leading scorer, said, “At first, I was really concerned about how we would respond to being down so early in the game because our team hasn’t had to come from behind very often this year. With this said, though, our team couldn’t have responded any better. I think it really motivated us. The defense stayed strong the rest of the game, and our midfielders and forwards were able to generate successful offense to end up winning us the game.”

Tuckerman’s tie-breaking goal, an outcome of Jack Lint’s’14 header assist, boosted the team’s morale even more, giving them a 2-1 lead. The Vikings stuck it out for the second half of the game, playing strong in all positions, and not allowing Grandview many opportunities to score.

Given the game’s result, Tuckerman notes, “It’s been really tough losing in the district finals the past two years, especially when I felt we might have underachieved as a team. This year, and specifically this past win, have been really fulfilling in that regard. With that said, our focus is now all on Wednesday as we look to make a deeper run.”

The boys’ team will compete against Mansfield Christian at Lexington High School this Wednesday, October 31, in the Regional semi-finals at 7 p.m.

Written by Margaret Sutton’14