Armstrong boys soccer began last week with a thrilling 5-4 win over Blaine at home on Sept. 30, achieved through a wild second half with goals from Moses Kamara and Joey Jacobson.
The visiting Bengals caused trouble early, earning a number of set pieces in the first 10 minutes. Another set piece, a corner kick in the 11th minute, gave Blaine its first goal off an Olimpico goal for Samuele Sporneac, who scored three of the team’s goals.
The early sucker punch did not stop Armstrong’s dangerous attack. The Falcons got midfielder Mohammed Abdulrahman the ball 25 yards out, giving the senior space to run into the right side of the box. He then dished a simple pass to Kamara in the box, who scored a classic fox-in-the-box goal to make it 1-1.
Abdulrahman was at it again in the 27th minute, this time making a blistering run into the left side of the box before sending a diagonal pass to Jacobson, who hit it quickly to take the lead at 2-1. Blaine was not out of the fight and two more Sporneac goals came from a set piece and a counterattack to make it 3-2 to the Bengals at halftime.
A comeback was on the horizon, but Blaine got the first punch in of the second half, earning a penalty kick and converting it to lead 4-2.
Head coach Jordan Escobar noted after the game that the team could not accept the defensive errors that allowed Blaine to take a serious lead at the nest.
“We gave up too many goals. That was a point of emphasis for us because we’ve had a few games where that’s happened,” he said. “Last few games on the road we only gave up one which was awesome. Not happy with giving up four today. That said, they showed resiliency. They got back into the game. We’re finding ways to get goals.”
With less than 30 minutes to figure things out, Armstrong got to work. Abdulrahman drew a free kick 30 yards out and sent a quick pass into the box for Jacobson, who then got the ball to Henry Diaz before it was deflected out to Kamara. The junior forward danced his way into space in the 18-yard box and lashed out a shot across the face of the goal to score his second.
After surviving two close chances for Blaine through the work of goalkeeper Jack Fisher, Armstrong did it again after Kamara earned a penalty kick and converted it himself to make it 4-4, completing his hat trick. Kamara now has 22 goals this season. Abdulrahman is second-up with nine goals and nine assists this season.
With two conference points still on the table, Jacobson came back into the fold and received a big pass down the left wing, cutting into the box and curling a perfect shot into the far post to make it 5-4 and win the game.
Spring Lake Park
The Falcons ended the regular season with a 5-0 win at Spring Lake Park on Oct. 2. Kamara had two goals, while Khalid Hassen, Eli Mahabadi, and Adam Neumann scored one each. The result adjusted their conference record to 8-2-3, good enough for second place in the standings, 11-2-3 overall this season. This saw the team improve on their 6-7-4 2023 overall record.
Section soccer season is now on its way, with Armstrong preparing to take part in one of the most interesting sections in Class 3A. In addition to a large number of teams with quality but more humble records and rankings like Rogers, Hopkins, and Southwest, Section 6AAA includes Washburn and Wayzata. The prior is the No.1 ranked team in Class 3A, while the latter is the reigning state champion.
Escobar noted that Armstrong’s strategy will have to include adaptation as they move through the bracket.
“We’ll take it one game at a time,” Escobar explained. “Whoever we play in the first round, we’ll probably be able to play our game, do what we do. After that, when we have to play a Washburn or a Wayzata-level team, it’ll start to be about taking away what they do well verus emphasizing what we want to do.”
Armstrong will take part in the Section 6AAA tournament the following week, hosting Hopkins in the first round on Wednesday, Oct. 9.
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