The Cleveland boys’ soccer team finished their season with a 7-3-5 record, good for 14th in state and third in the PIL. They will take on McMinnville in the first round of the state playoffs at home on Saturday, Oct. 28 at 3 p.m.
Cleveland started their first PIL game on Sept. 29 off with a bang, winning their first match of the month 5-0 over Benson. Miles Jeffery opened the scoring with a goal after running through the Benson defenders and slotting it past the goalie. Owen Rowe scored the second goal from just outside the box, making it 2-0. Paz Campbell made it 3-0 when he sent the goalkeeper the wrong way on a penalty kick. Rowe then tallied a brace to make it 4-0 and then Charlie Kibben made it 5-0 with a penalty kick for a well-earned 5-0 victory.
Cleveland won their toughest battle on Oct. 3 against the eventual PIL champion Lincoln Cardinals. The Warriors showed their toughness throughout the match, as Josh Huss sustained a nasty injury from a head to head collision. Cleveland got an equalizer near the end of the first half from Filippo Gallo, and later the eventual winner from Solomon Barnett, who scored on a chip following a long pass from Luca Vella.
The Warriors got another victory at home over Grant on Oct. 6. Logan Puppo scored the first goal, with the assist coming from his brother and Cleveland goalkeeper Derek Puppo. Ollie Brown converted his free kick into the Generals’ goal to give the Warriors the 2-0 win. Cleveland took on Franklin for the Southeast Cup on Oct. 9, and in a hard fought battle between the two rivals, nobody could break the deadlock as the game ended in a 0-0 draw.
Two more road matches were next on the schedule. At McDaniel on Oct. 11, the Warriors fought hard and walked out with a 1-1 draw via a goal from Huss. Cleveland went to Wells on Oct. 19, a team that was neck and neck with the Warriors in terms of seeding. A volley from Gallo and a goal from Solomon Barnett gave Cleveland a 2-0 lead, but two second half goals from Wells made the final result a 2-2 draw.
A 6-2 victory over Roosevelt capped off the Warriors regular season. Jeffery scored the first two goals from close range. Gavin Hartwig scored on a through ball, followed by a strike from junior Christian Mendoza. Boone Koozer scored the fifth goal, and Oscar Seminario converted a late penalty to end the game for the Warriors.