Christian Peterson
reporter.riverbendnews@gmail.com
The Branford High School boys' soccer team has been working hard for the past couple of weeks. Taking home the district championship trophy, however, was a tough journey, making the victory all the more deserved.
On Friday, Jan. 24, the gauntlet began with the Buccaneers taking on the Fort White Indians. The Indians fought as hard as they could but stood no chance against the Buccaneers, who took the game with a score of 2-0.
That wasn't the end for the Buccaneers, though. On Monday, Jan. 27, they faced off against the Hamilton County Trojans for the semifinals. This was a more back-and-forth battle, as the teams continued to trade points back and forth. Eventually, the Buccaneers were able to pull ahead and won the game with a score of 4-3.
It all came down to Thursday, Jan. 30, during the district championship game. The Buccaneers stood on the field facing down the Bell Bulldogs, who had just knocked the Buccaneers' rivals, the Lafayette Hornets, out of the tournament. The game mirrored the semifinal match, with it being a tight race throughout. For each point the Buccaneers scored, the Bulldogs scored one in return. Just like the previous game, it all came down to one point: the Buccaneers stole across the field and kicked the ball into the goal, securing the victory with a score of 3-2.
The Buccaneers have been preparing for the Tuesday, Feb. 11, game since then. Their first game of the state tournament was against the Maclay Marauders in Tallahassee. Check the Wednesday, Feb. 19, edition of the Riverbend News for coverage of this matchup.