The Apopka boys soccer season is in full swing after a long stretch of games in the first week of play. After battling to a hard-fought 2-2 draw against the highly touted Windermere Wolverines on Monday, they played back-to-back games against Bishop Moore and Jones. 

In the first game at Bishop Moore, the Hornets were swarming in the first half. They netted two goals from a short distance, one coming off a breakaway. The Blue Darters’ chances were limited until right before the half, where they gained some momentum with a shot on goal and 2 whizzing past the net. 

The second half was all about chances. Apopka kept finding chances with passes in space, but a few too many went too long for the receiver to possess the ball. The Blue Darters couldn’t find the back of the net and fell 2-0 to Bishop Moore. 

The loss lit a fire underneath Apopka. Less than 24 hours after leaving a blank on the scoreboard, they put up their own zero in a shutout against Jones.  

Just over 10 minutes in, David Campana found himself in some space between him and the goalie. With the goalie needing to guess, Campana shot unpredictably, lining one straight at the goalie and through his legs mid dive. 

Halfway through the first half, the ball was again on the foot of the captain. This time the faceoff between Campana and the goalie was via penalty kick. After nailing two in the opener, he did it again with a top-left screamer, to take a 2-0 lead. 

The defense of Apopka was stout and limited Jones chances in the first half. The Tigers’ best chance came at the beginning of the second half, when they pushed hard and put 3 shots on goal in a short timeframe. Goaltender Tanner Stewart came out with an epic diving save at the right goal post, which drew applause from the crowd.  

With 13:13 left in the half, the hats came flying. Pacing up the pitch in a 2-on-2 opportunity, junior Landon Carter made a move right outside the box to find space for a pass into the box. Moving past his defender to get to the ball first, Campana got it and scorched one past the goalie for the hat trick. He is now 3 for 3 on PKs, with all five of his team’s goals. 

Coach Billy Willer loves their fight through the tough week but knows they still have work as a unit. 

“They worked hard,” Willer said. “It’s been a long week, so I like the fact that they’re still working with heart. But we’ve got to work on playing as a team as one unit. That’s our biggest struggle right now. Trusting each other and getting that chemistry. So that’s going to be the focus for the next couple of weeks. We have three tough games again, but we’re going to get after it.” 

After the 3-0 shutout of Jones, the Blue Darters finish their busy week at 1-1-1 before moving into another three-game week. They face the Olympia Titans (2-0) at 7 p.m. Monday at Olympia.