MONUMENT – Drew Boldvich scored so early in the game it was almost unbelievable. The only problem was that Palmer Ridge couldn’t hold on to that lead.
When Boldvich came out in the second half, he figured it was better to get two goals as fast as possible. And he still needed another one after that. He scored four total goals, three in the second half, to lead the Bears to a 5-4 over Mesa Ridge at Don Breese Stadium.
“That first goal, we thought it was going to be a breeze after that,” Boldvich said. “They came back and we just had to push through it.”
The Bears grabbed the first goal thanks to brilliantly placed corner kick where Drew Boldvich got his head on the ball and slammed it into the back of the next. But they couldn’t hang on to the advantage for long as Kaidin Reese took advantage of a misplayed ball from Palmer Ridge keeper Brayden Johnson and netted an uncontested goal to tie the game.
Cody Cunningham responded for the Bears (1-0 overall) less than a minute later to put the Bears back on top. But Mekhi Pitts tied things up once again just over two minutes later to make it a 2-2 game with 29:02 left on the clock. It was a rare scoring barrage that gave the season a fun and fast start.
“That beginning 20 minutes, I’ve been coaching here 10 years and I don’t think I’ve had a 20-minute stretch like that,” Mesa Ridge coach Jay Drake said. “I think it kind of threw everyone off for a little bit, then we settled down. And then we picked it back up again.”
The respective back lines for each team tightened up after the fourth goal and limited the big scoring chances that each team saw early. They got through the remainder of the first half unscathed. Both sides even held strong for the first 11 minutes of the second half, but that’s when Boldvich struck. He battled for possession and got space down the edge of the field and ripped a shot by the outstretched leg of Riley Laneres to put the Bears on top.
Just 45 seconds later, he was received a well-placed pass in the slot and buried the shot to make it a 4-2 game.
But it still wasn’t enough.
“They just kept battling back,” Boldvich said. “We just kept scoring and trying to break their heart and their spirit and they just kept coming back.”
A foul in the box gave Tanner Widic a penalty kick opportunity and he put the ball just passed the outstretched fingers of Johnson to cut the Palmer Ridge lead in half. Then, less than a minute later, Reese got his second goal of the night by heading the ball just out of Johnson’s reach and the Grizzlies (0-1) were once again tied.
“We just try to keep our heads up,” Reese said. “We play hard through the final whistle.”
As the seconds ticked away, it felt as if 80 minutes wasn’t going to be enough to determine a winner, but Boldvich had one last shot in him. He fired across the goal, finding a window just big enough to get the ball by Laneres. It was a thrilling win for the Bears and one that could set a tone for what’s in store this season.
“I hope this shows them what they’re capable of,” Palmer Ridge coach Nick Odil said. “And I hope it shows them that there’s work to be done and that’s the biggest thing we have to take away from it.”