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FREEPORT — The Freeport boys soccer team doesn’t look back fondly on the 2024 season.
Three wins in the regular season and a loss in the Class B South preliminary round wasn’t what the Falcons had in mind.
Freeport is continuing to wash away those memories, and a 1-0 win Tuesday over York is the latest rinse.
“I’m super proud of our guys,” Freeport coach Peter Mills said. “I mean, they competed so hard today, and (York is) a good team. They’re a physical team, they’re an athletic team, and they’re gonna bring the best out of you. And I thought today maybe wasn’t the prettiest game of soccer you’ve ever seen your life, but it was a game (that) brought our most physical and athletic selves out.”
Dylan Meinert, a junior forward, notched the game’s lone goal in the 53rd minute. Senior keeper Mason Vintinner recorded five saves to clinch the shutout.
Coming into the game, York (7-5) was sixth in the Class B South Heal point standings and Freeport (8-4) was seventh. The win gives the Falcons a boost with one week left in the regular season.
“We’re hype … we just work hard every day, and we just want to do the best,” Vintinner said. “We want a winning season, and we got that.”
York and Freeport both had two shots on goal during the first half, but it was the Wildcats who seemed to control the pace of the game. The visitors played wide and were able to place the ball in the box with speed, low throw-ins and direct kicks, but shots also went wide.
In the first 10 minutes of the second half, the Falcons took their turn at creating with four solid chances. Given the intense back and forth in the midfield and their success rate on 50-50 balls, the Falcons felt encouraged with their game plan.
With 27:10 left, Freeport struck. Senior forward Noah Dugan sent a pass from midfield down the left side. Meinert collected the ball, raced past his defender and chipped the ball over junior keeper Orrin Culp Dechant (five saves).
“I saw the the ball get played to Noah Dugan and I saw his vision,” Meinert said. “I knew that he was gonna play that ball through, so it was just timing that run up and then beating the goalkeeper near post, because (I) saw the angle and knew I wouldn’t finish right side.”
Mills credited the upperclassmen-led backline and Vintinner’s defensive communication skills in securing Freeport’s third shutout of the season, especially as York continued to pressure with long balls and direct kicks.
“We changed a couple of things after they scored the goal, to try to push forward, and I thought we got some chances to tie it up at the end,” York coach Julie Johnson said. ” Just kind of couldn’t get that last finish. And I felt like, honestly, Freeport was stepping to the ball and competing to win a little bit more than we were stepping to the ball and competing to tie the game up. So we’ll continue to talk about that and work on that.”
