The Bison boys soccer team defeated Chagrin Falls on Sept. 7 by a score of 3-1
This is the first Bison win against the Tigers since 2006 and the first win at Chagrin’s Harris stadium since 1999.
The Bison came into the game with a 6-0 record, looking to keep their undefeated season alive and to break a losing streak against Chagrin Falls that was older than most players on either team.
Beachwood played tough from the outset, maintaining possession by controlling and passing the ball very well. With 22 minutes left in the first half, junior forward Jaycob Zabell scored the first goal of the game.
“It was nice to just score and get the team excited so that we’d come out of the gate aggressive and outperform them,” Zabell said.
The Bison kept dominating on offense. Junior defender Kyle Bennet assisted senior co-captain Jonathan Mo to increase the lead to 2-0 with four seconds before halftime.
“I just saw Kyle dribble past the whole defense, saw the space back post, and trusted him to play the cross,” Mo said. “I felt that goal really shifted the momentum of the game as we scored with 4 seconds left in the half.”
Going into halftime with a 2-0 lead felt like a comfortable cushion for the Bison, giving them confidence for the rest of the game.
In the second half, Chagrin led off with a goal, looking to come back and win their first game of the season.
Although the Tigers kept trying to claim the momentum, the Bison shut them down after their goal, leading to junior Co-Captain Grant Keilin scoring a goal late in the second half to move the lead up to 3-1 and put the game out of reach for the Tigers.
“I was just really happy, you know, we haven’t beaten Chagrin in 17 years, so it was really cool to score a goal on them,” Keilin said.
The Tigers fought until the last second to score, but Bison defenders junior Kyle Bennet, sophomore Nate Brecher, senior Co-Captain Straja Dimitrijevic and sophomore Asher Gearity would not allow it.
Zabell attributes the Bison win to the team’s discipline.
“We worked way harder and we played as a team, rather than selfishly,” he said.
This was the first win over Chagrin Falls since 2006, and a big confidence booster for the Bison this season.
“It means a lot to me that I was on the team that did it, and I think it’s just a big win for Beachwood,” Keilin said. “17 years is a long time.”
Another key factor of the win was the many young players who have been taking big roles this year as the team lost several seniors last year that were key factors of the team.
“Some of the younger guys have really stepped up like Asher Gearity and Daniel Park, most notably,” Mo said. “Kyle also has stepped up big time in the back to fill in for what Luke was last year. I think he will be an all state player this year.”
As the season continues, the Bison strive to keep winning. Last year they fell short in the regional semi-finals, but this year they’re looking for more.
At publication the Bison are undefeated (8-0). They face the 4-2 Orange Lions at home at 7:00 for what may be their most competitive game yet.
