The message to the Willoughby South Boys Soccer team at halftime was to stay composed, switch the field, and, when the opportunity presented itself, take a shot from distance.
With 2:42 remaining Tuesday night, Miles Bailey listened.
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After a long direct kick from South’s side of the field ricocheted through traffic, Bailey found space approximately 25 yards from the goal and unleashed a shot into the upper-right corner to give the Rebels a dramatic 2-1 victory over rival Eastlake North Boys Soccer at Carter Stadium.
For Bailey, a junior midfielder, the moment meant even more after South entered the rivalry matchup on a four-game winless streak.
“I’m just glad that I could come through for the team at the end of the game, coming off a bit of a drought that we have been on and doing it against our biggest rival,” Bailey said. “It is something I will remember for the rest of my life. It feels amazing.”
The victory improved South to 7-4-1 and snapped a 0-3-1 stretch that included losses to Orange, Harvey and Lutheran West and a tie against Geneva.
South coach Rick DiBacco said his players never allowed that recent stretch — or a 1-0 halftime deficit Tuesday — to get them down.
“They weren’t down, they weren’t depressed, they weren’t discouraged,” DiBacco said. “We kept their heads all level and told them, ‘Hey, 40 minutes to play. Just stay the course.’”
North struck first when senior defender Marcello Gjinplaku headed home a free kick in the opening half.
The Rangers carried that 1-0 advantage into halftime, but South began finding more success with its possession and its ability to switch the point of attack after the break.
“We kept switching the ball more often tonight, and we had a little bit better possession against a very good team,” DiBacco said. “North is very good. They’ve been hot the last three weeks here.”
South finally broke through when Bailey played a switch across the field to junior midfielder Zack Pizem, who took a couple touches before finishing the equalizer with 23:16 remaining.
The goal set up a frantic final stretch with the rivals still deadlocked at 1-1.
Then came the play South had been waiting for.
Senior midfielder Skeie Maine stepped up for a direct kick from around South’s 40-yard line and drove the ball deep into North territory. The ball deflected off a Rangers player and bounced into space in front of Bailey.
He did not hesitate.
“I could see the rebound coming off the other team, and there was some space in front of me,” Bailey said. “I saw an opportunity to take a shot from far and took it, hitting the top right corner.”
It was also exactly what DiBacco and his staff had asked the Rebels to do at halftime.
“We told the boys at halftime we need to take more distance shots second half,” DiBacco said. “So Miles listened to us.”
Bailey’s strike held up over the final 2:42, ending one streak and another in the process.
South won for the first time since an 8-0 victory over Firestone on Sept. 5, while North had its five-game unbeaten streak snapped. The Rangers had gone 3-0-2 during that run, including back-to-back 1-0 victories over Stow and North Olmsted.
North fell to 4-5-2 overall.
The matchup did not count toward the Chagrin Valley Conference standings. South remains 1-3 in the Chagrin Division, while North is 2-0-2 in the Lake Division.
For the Rebels, however, the significance of beating their rival after a difficult stretch went well beyond the standings.
“A couple of those games, all of them were winnable, but a couple of them we kind of just let slip by us as far as getting the W,” DiBacco said. “There’s disappointment we didn’t get a couple wins over the last four or five games, but they were ready to play tonight, and it was a well-played match.
“Both teams played evenly. They got the first good goal, and we came back and countered twice in the second half. So the guys deserved it.”
South returns home Saturday for a 3 p.m. matchup with Midview, and Bailey believes the rivalry victory could provide exactly the spark the Rebels needed.
“This game was huge for the team,” Bailey said. “It puts our confidence at an all-time high and makes us even more ready for the game Saturday against Midview.”
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