Coral Shores traveled to Marathon on Nov. 17 in hopes of avenging their season-opener loss five days prior. In that matchup, the Hurricanes were without several key players who were still participating on their regional-qualifying cross country team. Their return did shift the scales in the game, but not quite enough to overcome a determined Dolphin team.
A back-and-forth battle played out on the pitch, with multiple opportunities for both teams to score, but two sets of staunch defenders kept it at 0-all until freshman Fin forward Adiel Nunez blasted a shot past Coral Shores goalkeeper Zachary Swenson to take the lead. Swenson and Marathon keeper Tiago Rivero were both peppered the entire game, with each making some incredible saves. Rivero was credited with more than a dozen.
The 1-0 score remained until the second half, when Nunez struck again and it looked like Marathon would be able to sit on the lead and ride it out.
Hurricane senior Alaric Rodriguez had other plans, though. Fresh off his final cross country season, Rodriguez looked fresh compared to most. He used that advantage to out-hustle Marathon’s back line, catching Rivero off guard with a well-placed shot that narrowed the Dolphins’ lead by half.
With the game now within reach, Coral Shores picked up the tempo and fired away at the Fins’ goal. Rivero, in a display of fantastic athleticism, denied one after another, and Marathon held on to the lead to win 2-1. The Hurricanes will have one more shot at the Fins on Jan. 15 in a rare third matchup of the season.
TRACY McDONALD/Keys Weekly
