Mustangs beat at their own game

The Mustangs are known for pushing the ball forward and using their speed to score quickly. It wasn’t until last Wednesday night that Lakewood found itself in the position of having to defend its own offensive scheme.

“They came out with our game plan,” coach Vito Bavaro says. “Our game plan is to come out strong and send the ball quick and put a couple goals in. When it happened to us it was hard for us to recover.

“They are a mirror image of us,” Bavaro says. “They play like we play. It’s just, at this point in the season, the team that wants it the most wins it. They wanted it more than we did. It was obvious.”

Trailing 2-0, Bavaro moved all of his players forward in an attempt to cut into the Sharks’ lead.

“At this point in time you win or you lose,” Bavaro says. “It doesn’t matter about the score.”

Senior midfielder Jason Ferguson, who was one of nine seniors who played his final game in a Mustangs uniform, scored the lone goal for the Mustangs with 14 minutes left to play in the second half.

The Mustangs finished the season 16-6-4 and captured their first district title in four years.

“I’m proud of them,” Bavaro says. “We had a good season. I’m going to miss the seniors, but the future looks bright for us, so we should be around for a long time.”