It didn’t take long for the Brighton boys soccer team to face their first piece of adversity in the 2012 season. It only took about 17 minutes to be exact.
The Barons fell behind 1-0 in their season opener against Webster Thomas last Wednesday. While they fell behind pretty quickly, they were back in the game much sooner.
Brighton tied the game eight minutes later and scored the game-winning goal in the second half. The Barons went on to secure a 2-1 victory.
Much like last season, Brighton was playing their best soccer not only at the end of the season, but at the end of games in crunch time.
“I thought even though it was rough at the start we improved as the game went on,” said Alban Zohn, Barons senior forward. “We didn’t play our best game and we won so there is a lot more from this team to come.”
Expectations are high for Brighton, who improved dramatically in head coach Adam Hiller’s first season last fall. Following a 10-10 finish in 2010, the team shut out Wayne, HF-L and Aquinas to win a Class A crown.
The Barons talented offense was on display Wednesday, with David Medina recording two goals. Medina is one of many strong finishers in the offense.
Zohn, last year’s leading scorer, will look to build off a season where he finished with nine goals. Juniors Victor Alvarez and Josh Hunt are coming off of strong sophomore seasons.
“I want us every year to expect to compete for a sectional title,” Hiller said. “We are going to have talent coming up every year, and we want every team to have that goal at the beginning of the year.”
Senior Ethan Brown takes over as starting goalkeeper for the graduated Will Banahene. Brown will have plenty of help from veteran defenders Jackson Shaw and Casey Kopp and converted striker Ben Orr.
“Last year’s experience helped us,” Kopp said. “It was a special year, it gave us a taste and this year we want more.”
The biggest change to the Barons roster comes in the midfield, where the team will have three new center middies. Jonah Boucher, Colin Johnson and Manny Gill will try to fill the role of talented midfielder Garrett Rauck.
“Losing Garrett from last year leaves us with a big hole, but these guys are ready to play,” Hiller said. “They are going to do good things for us.”
It didn’t take long for the Brighton boys soccer team to face their first piece of adversity in the 2012 season. It only took about 17 minutes to be exact.
The Barons fell behind 1-0 in their season opener against Webster Thomas last Wednesday. While they fell behind pretty quickly, they were back in the game much sooner.
Brighton tied the game eight minutes later and scored the game-winning goal in the second half. The Barons went on to secure a 2-1 victory.
Much like last season, Brighton was playing their best soccer not only at the end of the season, but at the end of games in crunch time.
“I thought even though it was rough at the start we improved as the game went on,” said Alban Zohn, Barons senior forward. “We didn’t play our best game and we won so there is a lot more from this team to come.”
Expectations are high for Brighton, who improved dramatically in head coach Adam Hiller’s first season last fall. Following a 10-10 finish in 2010, the team shut out Wayne, HF-L and Aquinas to win a Class A crown.
The Barons talented offense was on display Wednesday, with David Medina recording two goals. Medina is one of many strong finishers in the offense.
Zohn, last year’s leading scorer, will look to build off a season where he finished with nine goals. Juniors Victor Alvarez and Josh Hunt are coming off of strong sophomore seasons.
“I want us every year to expect to compete for a sectional title,” Hiller said. “We are going to have talent coming up every year, and we want every team to have that goal at the beginning of the year.”
Senior Ethan Brown takes over as starting goalkeeper for the graduated Will Banahene. Brown will have plenty of help from veteran defenders Jackson Shaw and Casey Kopp and converted striker Ben Orr.
“Last year’s experience helped us,” Kopp said. “It was a special year, it gave us a taste and this year we want more.”
The biggest change to the Barons roster comes in the midfield, where the team will have three new center middies. Jonah Boucher, Colin Johnson and Manny Gill will try to fill the role of talented midfielder Garrett Rauck.
“Losing Garrett from last year leaves us with a big hole, but these guys are ready to play,” Hiller said. “They are going to do good things for us.”
Brighton opens league play at 4:30 p.m. Thursday at Pittsford Mendon. The Barons and Vikings, who now play in Monroe County Division II thanks to league realignment, will welcome perennial Class AA contender Irondequoit into the division.
The Eagles, who move into Division II with Canandaigua, reached the Class AA finals the last two seasons. Honeoye Falls-Lima and Pittsford Sutherland round out the new Division II.
“We have come in more fit than we have in the past and we were working in the weight room (in the offseason) much more than any other point,” Shaw said. “The attitude has really changed. We are more of a family and the work ethic has picked up a lot.”
