Jeff boys soccer downs McCutcheon, 4-2

Lafayette Jeff’s boys soccer team scored one goal while opening the season with a four-game gauntlet of some of the state’s top teams.

Tuesday night’s match with cross-town rival McCutcheon provided the spark the Broncho offense needed.

Hector Rosado-Sanchez scored a pair of goals — including the tiebreaker in the 65th minute — as Lafayette Jeff defeated McCutcheon 4-2 at Scheumann Stadium.

“We were passing better,” Rosado-Sanchez said. “We had better communication than we had in our past games, more shots than in our past games, and we just finished better.”

Both teams were winless coming into the Hoosier Crossroads Conference game. Lafayette Jeff (1-4 overall, 1-4 HCC) was outscored 30-1 while opening against current No. 7 Zionsville, Fishers, defending sectional and regional champion Harrison and current No. 11 Westfield.

McCutcheon (0-4, 0-3) had also struggled to score this season, yet the teams combined for four first-half goals.

“We were both coming off hard losses, and we both knew this was going to be an even match, a hard match, and we wanted to come out and win,” said McCutcheon junior Chase Bennett, who scored both Maverick goals, including one on a penalty kick. “Both teams were going really hard at each other.”

The scoring slowed down in the second half until a pass from Bryce Everett set Rosado-Sanchez up in front of the net. The junior forward knocked one into the lower left corner to put the Bronchos up 3-2 with 15:11 left.

A little under eight minutes later, Everett again assisted when Jeff’s Ignacio Gonzalez scored the clinching goal.

“We were still trying to figure out things at the beginning of the year,” Everett said. “Right here, we knew against this team was when we had to figure it out. We executed what we did in practice perfectly, and that’s how you win games.”

Lafayette Jeff’s first and only victory did not come until Sept. 17 last season. That season included a pair of ties and four one-goal losses.

The Bronchos hope to build off Tuesday’s success for a more successful 2012.

“It’s just one day; we’ve got to work on more teams, get better, and try to get more Ws,” Rosado-Sanchez said