Athens gets past Mineola 5-3 in soccer
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The Mineola soccer side went down in defeat last Tuesday evening to the visiting Athens Hornets, 5-3, in frigid conditions.
The visitors did not need long to warm-up, however. They opened …
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Athens gets past Mineola 5-3 in soccer
The Mineola soccer side went down in defeat last Tuesday evening to the visiting Athens Hornets, 5-3, in frigid conditions.
The visitors did not need long to warm-up, however. They opened the scoring with a rebound from a free kick in the 12th minute of play.
The Hornets then dominated possession throughout the first half.
Given Mineola’s defensive structure and their counter-attacking offensive scheme, the imbalance in possession was not a surprise. It was concerning, however, that Athens was able to not only string several passes together but could often turn on the ball without interference.
The Yellowjackets did generate three great chances in the opening half. Jonathan Ledesma and Brayan Torres narrowly missed – Ledesma’s shot went just high and Torres rattled the crossbar.
In the 37th minute, Athens struck again. They exploited the center of the Mineola defense to generate a sizzling, waist-high shot from 20 meters which whistled into the netting.
Just prior to the halftime horn, Ledesma earned himself a penalty shot after being taken down in the box. His effort – low and to the left of the keeper – was struck well, but the Athens keeper made a great save on the shot.
The match opened up more in the second half. With the tempo increasing, the Athens attack continued to produce. They scored in 46th and again in the 52nd minutes. With the score 4-0, it appeared that a rout could be on.
Mineola never quit. After falling down by four goals, the Yellowjackets suddenly found their feet. Ledesma, Eddie Lucas and Eduardo Zavala each had near misses in separate attacks moments after the fourth Athens goal.
Ledesma got the Jackets on the board when he took a short corner, worked his way up the endline and blasted a shot at close range. The ball ricocheted off a defender and Mineola was back in the game.
Ten minutes later Ledesma made it a 4-2 game. He took a pass out of the midfield, raced up the north sideline and beat the goal keeper cleanly. With 14 minutes to play, Mineola was coming back.
It seemed like the Yellowjackets were headed for an epic comeback when Ledesma had his legs taken out from under him as he attacked in the penalty area. It set him up for a second penalty kick.
Ledesma struck the ball just as well, but once again, the Athens keeper made the save – again low and to his left.
The odds of saving two penalty shots by Ledesma in one game are miniscule. The air went out of the home side, and Athens made them pay.
Moments later they put numbers in a wild attack from the right wing and made the score 5-2.
Time was running out. In the 77th minute Ledesma got some revenge, as he cleared the midfield on a break. He rifled the shot into goal for the final tally of the game.
Now 2-1 in district, the Jackets traveled to Cumberland Tuesday and are at home to face the Lindale Eagles Friday.