DANE FUELLING
WZBD.com
After two lopsided losses to start the year, the Bellmont Braves were a team in somewhat of a crisis.
How were they going to shore up their defense?
From where would the goals come?
They answered both those questions and got into the win column Wednesday at Kreager Park against the Snider Panthers thanks to a goal by Derick Vogel and a great goalkeeping effort by Parker Frietas.
The victory is exactly what coach Derek Trobeck and his team needed heading into Thursday’s conference opener against Columbia City at home.
Trobeck made the tough selection to give Frietas the start in goal and it paid off, with the junior playing one of the best games of his Bellmont career. Frietas and classmate Xavior Palacios have been splitting time for much of their careers with each other.
“Both guys are good about it. They understand that sometimes they both need to play and sometimes one of them needs a break. They work with each other, they warm each other up before games, they compete against each other, but in the end, they’re teammates and they’re friends and they want what is best for the team.”
Frietas made eight saves in the game, with five of them coming in the second half after Vogel’s goal.
That lone tally came as a result of a free kick in the 55th minute. Carsten Hudson sent a ball to the back post and Vogel smashed it home, giving the Braves the pick-me-up they needed to move on from last week’s disastrous start.
The Braves had five shots on goal on the night. They all came after an initial onslaught by the Panthers, which the defense absorbed well at the start of the match.
The junior varsity team for Bellmont fell 5-0 in their match.
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