The No. 1 John Bapst boys’ soccer team put on a show for its fans on Wednesday night, dominating No. 8 Oceanside 5-0 in the Class B North quarterfinal game at Cameron Stadium in Bangor.
The Crusaders blew it open early with four first-half goals, including a score for junior Silas Pepin only three minutes into the game. Off corner from the far sideline, Pepin honed in on a loose ball and got the crowd going by emphatically burying it from right outside the six-yard box.
It wouldn’t be the only time Bapst set themselves up from close range.
Fifteen minutes later, standout junior forward Ethan Marquis would get his first of two goals. Dribbling with a pass into the center of the penalty box, Marquis sliced his way around a couple defenders and skillfully fired the ball into the bottom left corner.
“It’s a great feeling to score in the playoffs,” Marquis said. “It’s different from the regular season, and two goals is better than one.”
Marquis proceeded to jog over to the corner flag and leap into the air, completing a 180 and thrusting his arms backwards, mirroring the iconic goal celebration of the world-famous Cristiano Ronaldo. The packed Bapst crowd responded in turn, shouting, “Siuuuuu!”
“I do it because Ronaldo’s my favorite player,” Marquis said. “When I celebrate after a goal, it kinda gets me hyped and elevates me for the rest of the game.”
Bapst got their final two first half goals from right winger Garrett Fletcher, twice assisted by left winger Ellis Columber. The senior duo terrorized the Oceanside back line all night, particularly in transition.
Columber connected with his counterpart in the 21st and 37th minute, as Fletcher converted on Columber crosses with his feet and then his head.
“It was fantastic. We came out and played as a team,” Fletcher said. “They were team goals at the end of the day.”
John Bapst head coach Jason Pangburn echoed Fletcher’s sentiments.
“We came out really strong, and played very unselfishly,” Pangburn said. “We had really good speed up front, and some of the combinations were just electric.”
In the second half, Marquis secured his second score on a broken play in the 58th minute, deftly sending the ball between the Oceanside goalie and a couple others defenders off a tough angle from outside the penalty box. On the other end, Oceanside forwards were able to create some trouble, but junior Bapst keeper Connor Messervey made some athletic saves to lock down the clean sheet.
After the final buzzer, the Crusaders rushed the field and mobbed Messervey for his efforts.
With the win, John Bapst advanced to the Class B North regional quarterfinal, and will play No. 4 Medomak Valley in the regional semifinals on Saturday, likely at Cameron Stadium during a time to be announced.
“I’m looking forward to another challenge, and to continue our playoff run,” Marquis said. “I feel like we’ll make it really far, and it’s really fun to challenge ourselves.”
