SCARBOROUGH — Jacob McGarvey and Jake Kacer scored Thursday night as Scarborough won the game between two undefeated SMAA boys’ soccer teams with a 2-0 victory against Thornton Academy.
McGarvey put Scarborough (8-0-2) ahead with 7:31 left in the first half off a rebound.
“I guess I was just in the right spot at the right time. That’s all there is to it,” said McGarvey.
About midway through the second half, Kacer took a pass from the left side by Garrett King and scored on a header to make it 2-0.
“It was a great ball by Garrett (King), a great run. I just happened to be there and got a good head on it and it went in. It was a team effort,” said Kacer.
“That was a great goal by Kacer. That was a fantastic goal,” said Scarborough Coach Mark Diaz.
The way the Red Storm were playing, Kacer’s goal put the game out of reach.
“Scarborough was the better team tonight,” said Thornton Coach Andrew Carlson. “They are a bit deeper and more energetic.”
Each team had two ties with its undefeated record but Thornton (9-1-2) was ranked No. 1 in the Class A South Heal point standings. Scarborough was No. 3.
It was an impressive showing by Scarborough in a tightly played game.
“It was a good game, back and forth really. I thought it was an even match,” said McGarvey. “(The game) was definitely more hyped up (than other games). They’re good; they have a really good player (Simon Trcka).”
“They’re a great team. We came in expecting what we got and we played 100 percent all the way through and we got the win. Team effort,” said Kacey.
Thornton trailed 1-0 at halftime despite outshooting Scarborough, 11-5.
“If you’re chasing the game at halftime, a veteran team like (Scarborough) is going to beat you. If you let the lead horse get out (in front) in the Kentucky Derby, it’s going to be pretty hard to run it down,” said Carlson.
The Trojans had multiple opportunities in the first half, the closest coming just under 14 minutes into the game on a beautiful shot by Dalton Moore that bounced off the right post.
“(Thornton Academy is) a really good team; they’re dangerous,” said Diaz. “It was a very tight game, very close. They’re very good. We just got our opportunities.”
By the end of the game, Thornton had a 17-15 advantage in shots.
“Hopefully we can improve our play and maybe we’ll have a chance to reverse the result in three to four weeks here (in the playoffs),” said Carlson.
Trailing 2-0 with 17 minutes remaining, the Trojans had one more great opportunity when Moore took a point-blank shot that looked good but was deflected up and away by Scarborough goalkeeper Cam Nigro.
“That save (Nigro) made was critical,” said Diaz.
Nigro was superb for the Red Storm, making eight saves
“He’s been working hard. That was the most he’s been tested all year and he stepped up to the challenge,” said Diaz. “He definitely deserves a start next game.”
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