FREMONT – Even though the Fremont Ross boys soccer team had won and tied in the previous two games entering Tuesday night, coach Alex Coressel hadn’t left those games overly pleased.
Both in the Little Giants’ 6-1 win over Tiffin Columbian and after its 0-0 tie with Clyde on Saturday, Coressel didn’t like how his team had played, even though they hadn’t lost.
Tuesday night, Ross hosted TRAC and state power St. John’s. Coressel and his team knew the scale of the challenge that awaited them and it was everything they’d expected it to be, as the Titans took a 7-0 victory.
Even though the Little Giants lost, Coressel’s mood had improved dramatically compared to its last two outings.
“I think our guys answered the call tonight,” Coressel said.
“It’s (about) effort and heart and they played with it tonight. The team has gone through a lot over the last week with some internal struggles and we came together and played as one. They did what they were asked to do and played with a team that many would say we had no business hanging around. You could see the frustration on St. John’s face and on their coach’s face. We hung in there and even had two or three opportunities to score and their goalie actually had to work, which they haven’t had to do in the past.”
The Little Giants held the Titans to three goals in the first half. At halftime, Coressel challenged his starters – who’d played all of the first half – to hold on tough for 20 more minutes and allow no more than one more goal midway through the second half, at which point he’d empty the bench and play his subs.
“They did exactly that,” Coressel said. “We got to the 20-minute mark at 4-0 and then we put the subs in there and they did exactly what I asked them to. They played their butts off and we played one of our better games of the season, I think.”
“Every single kid, from our top starter to the last kid on the bench, played well tonight,” he added. “The subs went in and showed a lot of effort and heart even though they were outmatched. St. John’s has 22 varsity starters out there, but all of our kids played well.”
The Little Giants (7-4-1 overall, 2-3 TRAC) have some time off before their next match, next Tuesday at Oregon Clay, which they will use to regenerate their health.
“We are beat up, to say the least,” Coressel said. “We had five or six guys walking out in ice today when it was over.”