Carmel Boys Soccer Struggles in Losses

CARMEL – The Carmel High boys soccer team dropped a 2-0 decision to Beacon in a non-league game played Monday at Beacon. The Rams also dropped a 2-1 verdict to Yorktown in overtime last Tuesday on the road in a league game.

Thursday at Beacon (2-1), D. Gibson had two goals for the Bulldogs, and the Beacon defense did the rest.

Steve Mazzoni had six saves for Carmel (1-2), while Beacon keeper TJ Zehner stopped 12 shots on goal.

“We had a lot of opportunities,” Rams coach Mike Gizzo said. “But we need to put the ball in the net. They’re a pretty strong team… but we controlled the ball, and controlled the midfield. We had chances… we couldn’t put them away.”

The prior Tuesday at Yorktown, the Cornhuskers’ DiBuono got credit for the game-winning goal, which came in the first overtime session. The ball actually deflected off a Carmel defender and went in for the decisive score. Mata also had a goal for Yorktown, coming in the 80th minute of regulation.

Joe Ilardi scored for the Rams in the 60th minute, off a pass from Flynn O’Shaughnessy.

Mazzoni stopped eight shots on goal for Carmel, and Lizarzabua had nine saves for Yorktown.

“I thought we played well, and our defense was strong,” Gizzo said. “We didn’t control the midfield as well as we would have liked, and we didn’t put it away when we had a chance to. We had opportunities and we should have put it away. Kyle Cassidy was phenomenal for us at midfield, and Mykhaylo Panchishak and Matt Doyle both played well for us on defense.”

Carmel was set to play in the Joel Thompson Memorial Tournament Friday and Saturday at FDR High School.