Socastee boys soccer calmly bests Stratford in playoffs
Postseason jitters almost cost the Socastee boys soccer team in the first round.
That wasn’t the case on Thursday.
The Braves got out to a quck lead and four different players scored goals as the Braves took down Stratford 4-2 to advance to the third round.
“We did OK. We did better than the previous round and we’re getting better and better,” said Socastee coach Memo Suarez, whose team edged Lexington 2-1 in the first round Tuesday. “To start the playoffs, there’s a little bit of nervousness and with that out of the way, we’re in better shape.”
The Braves (17-4-1) got out to a quick lead and never looked back. Senior Alan Millan scored in the 15th minute to give Socastee a 1-0 advantage. After Ricky Garcia scored a goal for the Knights to tie the match 1-1, junior Jake Perito scored a goal with about two minutes left in the half to give the Braves a 2-1 advantage at the break.
“We came out a little flat in the first half,” said freshman Chris Matlashewski, who assisted Perito’s goal. “But in the second half we took it to them.”
That they did.
Socastee senior Jon Ford scored on a penalty kick with a little over 30 minutes to play, and Matlashewski scored just five minutes later as the Braves went ahead 4-1.
“I just thought it was a good win. We’ve been preparing for this all season and we’re ready for the next round,” Matlashewski said. “We all played as a team. We were connected, made good passes and played a good game.”
Tyler Tekac scored with about eight minutes left to play to cut the Knights’ deficit to two goals, but it was too little too late for Stratford as Socastee held on.
Meanwhile, Matlashewski has made a big impact as a freshman and now has two postseason goals. He also scored in the Braves’ win over Lexington.
“Chris has been playing club soccer all of his life and it shows,” Suarez said. “He’s gonna play a big role for us in the future.”
For the time being, Matlashewski will try to contibute as much as he can as Socastee travels to play No. 1 River Bluff on Saturday.
“We’re ready for anything,” Matlashewski said.
Goals - Socastee, Alan Millan 1, Jake Perito 1, Jon Ford 1, Chris Matlashewski 1. Stratford, Ricky Garcia 1, Tyler Tekac 1.
Assists - Socastee, Matlashewski 1, Ford 1, Tanner Gosher 1.
Goalkeepers - Socastee, Cole Renfrow (2 saves). Stratford, Josh Lucarelli (5 saves).
Records - Socastee 17-4-1
Contact MAX McKINNON at 626-0302 or on Twitter @mmckinnonTSN.
This story was originally published May 7, 2015 at 10:22 PM with the headline "Socastee boys soccer calmly bests Stratford in playoffs."