Storm boys soccer score three unanswered, blow by Cibola 3-1

RIO RANCHO — It’s been an up-and-down season so far for Cleveland boys soccer. The Storm entered Tuesday sitting at 4-5 on the year, struggling to find their offensive rhythm, having only posted more than two goals in a match once in nine games.

“We’ve been a little slow on energy the last few games,” senior midfielder Elijah McLaughlin said. “So we just went to practice, training for intensity and energy.”

Intensity and energy may have been the pieces they were missing as the Storm found a spark in a 3-1 home win over Cibola to open district play.

The Cougars opened the game by drawing first blood, but Cleveland would respond with three unanswered goals in the first half to coast back to a .500 record.

“It was good because normally we put our heads down,” McLaughlin said. “But now that we had our heads up, we kept pushing, and we came out with the win.”

In a 1-1 tie, McLaughlin got on the score sheet with a perfectly timed rebound to put away the go-ahead goal.

With a 2-1 lead in hand, both teams were ready to head into halftime. But Dakota Jones had other plans. The junior broke away from the Cibola defense in the waning moments of the first half and buried one past the keeper, making it 3-1 at the half.

While the competitive energy from both teams did not die down, the second half was the opposite of what was seen in the opening half. An offensive frenzy quickly turned into a defensive standoff.

Cleveland created a plethora of scoring chances, but Cibola goalkeeper Luke Schutzberger did all he could to keep things at a two-goal deficit. Behind Schutzberger’s netminding heroics (and some favorable bounces), the Storm could not find a fourth goal.

For Cibola, they were throwing everything in the bag at Cleveland to try and get back in the game. The Cougars generated several opportunities on attack but were quickly shut down by a pesky Storm backline.

Sophomore Shanen Cochrane was a ball hawk on defense for the Storm, flagging down any through ball or deep pass Cibola tried to get through. The defense truly embodied the Storm’s emphasis on energy, putting together a second-half shutout.

Now at 5-5 and 1-0 in district play, the Storm look to use this win as a launch point to take their season to the next level.

“Keep the same energy, the same pressure,” McLaughlin said. “Keep our heads high.”

Next up, Cleveland will take on Farmington in another district battle at Lightning Bolt Stadium. The Storm and Scorpions are set for a 1 p.m. kick on Saturday, Sept. 27.

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