Plum’s Possession, Two Second-Half Goals Hand Mars Boys Soccer Its First Loss

MARS — Plum controlled much of the possession Tuesday night, but Mars goalkeeper Collin McAfee and the Planets’ defense kept the section matchup close until the Mustangs broke through on a penalty kick. Plum added a second goal and defeated Mars 2–0 at the Mars Athletic Complex, handing the Planets their first loss of the season.

Plum senior Andy Strasser scored the first goal on a penalty kick against McAfee, a Mars senior. Plum led 1–0 with 22:40 remaining in the second half. Jonathan Ignatuk, No. 33, scored the second goal; the scoreboard showed Plum ahead 2–0 with 4:49 remaining.

Plum spent much of the game on the ball and created repeated scoring chances. McAfee made at least 10 saves by The 228 Times’ count, helping Mars stay within reach.

Mars coach Joe Haefner said his team had prepared for Plum’s possession-oriented style and knew it would need discipline throughout the lineup.

“We kind of watched a lot of film, kind of knew the type of team they are, like to dominate the ball,” Haefner said. He praised his team’s defensive work and McAfee’s saves, but said Mars needs to do more with the ball after winning it.

“I’d like to see us, when we win the ball, have a little bit more quality to get out of our end instead of some longer balls and forcing back into pressure,” he said.

Plum coach Raf Kolankowski said keeping possession is central to his team’s approach, but Mars made it difficult to turn that control into goals.

“They did a great job on defense, and we were getting frustrated. We couldn’t break through,” Kolankowski said. “We just kept fighting and fighting and fighting until finally we were able to get one in.”

Kolankowski called Mars a well-organized opponent and said Plum still needs to improve its play in the attacking third. Haefner said he sees the defeat as a chance for Mars to learn from a strong section opponent.

“We played a really good team,” Haefner said. “We look forward to these kind of games because it’s a good test.”