Hauser’s Nick Mann controls the ball against two Triton Central defenders Thursday at Hauser High School.
Tommy Walker | For the Republic
HOPE — The Hauser boys soccer team is enjoying one of its best seasons in school history.
The Jets are closing in on a school record for wins in a season and took another step in that direction Thursday when they pulled out a 4-3 victory against Triton Central.
“I think we’ve been playing really good,” said forward Nick Mann, the team’s lone senior. “Some games, we’ve been off, but we came back and won.”
That was the case Thursday. The Jets (7-2) fell behind 2-1 and 3-2, but tied the game before halftime, then won it in the second half on a goal by Mann in the 76th minute.
“We’re still working on our defensive pressure and defensive positioning,” Hauser coach Barry Grimes said. “We’ve had some pretty good offensive opportunities. Now, we just have to connect the defense and offense. We’re trying to do the right things. We just have to get our skill level to match our soccer IQ at this point.”
Junior Camden Grimes gave the Jets an early lead when he headed a throw-in from Mann, then kicked it into the net in the fifth minute. The Tigers (1-8-1) answered with goals in the 19th and 22nd minutes to take the lead.
Hauser tied it in the 28th minute when Mann finished a through ball from Landon Pendleton. Triton Central regained the lead in the 31st minute, but sophomore Phillipe Douce tied it in the 38th minute when he followed a shot that Mann had put off the crossbar.
“We kicked the ball around well,” Camden Grimes said. “Our 1-2 (passes) looked better than they have all year. Our through-balls looked better.”
After the teams combined for six goals in the first half, only one was scored in the second half. That came in the 76th minute when Koleson Grenentz fed Mann for the game-winner.
The Tigers had a shot in the 75th minute, but put it just over the crossbar.
“We just worked our butts off the second half,” Mann said. “We were able to find the goal to take the lead and then drop back on ‘D’ and didn’t let them get another goal.”
“I think we just fought at the end there,” Douce added. “We played a lot harder in the second half. I think that’s the most intense we’ve played all year. I’m super excited. I’m pumped to see what we can do in future games.”
The Jets outshot Triton Central 16-15, putting eight shots on goal to seven for the Tigers. Austin Sanders played the first half in goal and recorded three saves. Freshman Luke Raisor, who normally is a defender, played the second half in goal. Triton Central had only one shot on goal in the second half, and that was saved by defender Tony Ernest.
“We moved Camden back from center mid to defensive back,” Barry Grimes said. “He’s just a strong player that he gives us an advantage wherever he’s at and controls the game. We put a very inexperienced goalkeeper in the second half. Luke Raisor hasn’t had a lot of varsity minutes (in goal), but he did a really good job for coming in kind of cold.”
Hauser is well on its way to its first winning season since 2019, Andy Hunnicutt’s last full season as head coach. The Jets are seeking their first sectional title in school history.
“I’m just hoping to keep up the momentum and finish through and hopefully get that sectional and make it to regional and go as far as we can,” Camden Grimes said.
“When we do the things that we want to do, we feel like we can compete with a lot of the 1A teams,” Barry Grimes added. “But obviously, we need to bring that all the time and not just pick and choose when we’re going to do the right things.”
