Akers’ brace leads Owls past Stars

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SEYMOUR

Wins have been hard to come by this season for the Seymour boys soccer team.

Yet, on senior night, the Owls were able to send their leaders out with a victory, 2-1, over Hoosier Hills Conference rival Bedford North Lawrence on Thursday night for their third win of the year. 

Seymour coach Matt Dennis said this group has been doing a lot of learning and growing over the season to get ready for the postseason, which starts next Tuesday.

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One of the biggest areas of improvement he saw against the Stars was their decision making. With the exception of a few miscues, Dennis was very pleased with the way his players handled the ball.

"There was a conscious effort by the team to bring an extra man into the attack, which was great to see," Dennis said. "When we can get extra guys around the ball, good things are going to happen." 

One of those big decisions came from junior Cameron Cox.

Cox settled a dangerous ball down in the BNL penalty area and found a streaking Simon Akers, who slotted the ball into the back of the net for his first goal of the night.

The goal was a direct result of Seymour’s wide play that had the Stars running scared according to Dennis. 

It didn’t matter who was serving the ball into the box or from what side of the pitch it came from, the Owls were always on their attacking foot.

"The decision to stick with wide play and early service led to the goal," Dennis explained. "[The goal] came from the middle of the park, but it came because they were so scared of what we were doing on the outside. 

"They over committed on the outside, Simon was able to cut in on his favorite right foot and was able to hit an in-swinger."

BNL eventually leveled the game with less than 20 minutes to go. However, it was Akers who came to the rescue to preserve the win.

Akers, who is tied for the team scoring lead, plays a major role in the attacking effort for Seymour. Dennis praised the senior’s ability to pick apart the Stars.

"That was a well-played game out of Simon," Dennis said. "It’s probably the best game he’s had all year if I sat down and thought about it. He’s shown tremendous energy for us this year."

The Owls will look to avoid an early exit as they begin their postseason journey next Tuesday, October 8 in the first round of the Floyd Central sectional.

They’ll take on Columbus East at 7 p.m. The Class 3A No. 5 Olympians won the regular season clash 4-0. 

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