Change is good for Air Academy boys football.
The Kadets welcomed junior Aidan Kranz from South Carolina ahead of the year and changed their roster on Tuesday, to boot, en route to a 2-0 win over Rampart at D20 Stadium.
He scored the second of the team’s goals, with second Andrew Foster scoring the other in the first half to level the team’s score in each half.
It wasn’t until halfway through the first, when Air Academy coach Espen Hosoien switched the Kadets to a 4-3-3, that they really started to fly.
“We don’t usually play this formation, but it gave us more space to attack from behind,” Hosoien said. “We made the change and it worked because we scored quickly afterwards. Sometimes we have to play with what the other team gives us.”
Adaptability has worked for Air Academy this year.
In six games, the Kadets have only suffered one loss – a 2-1 loss to Golden in the second half.
Attackers have learned to roll with the modifications and be a supporting beacon for the defense. When Rampart controlled possession for most of the first half, the Air Academy forwards continued to help where they could, assisting a back line which, despite the pressure, only caved in. a handful of shots to the main goaltender, Owen Sutherland.
On the rare occasion that Sutherland needed to make a play, he did, including a full stoppage to keep the Rams scoreless.
HTAir Academy – 1Rampart – 0Owen Sutherland goes full extension in goal to hold on to the 1-0 lead, Kadet. Rams owned the ball more, but Air Academy made it count so far #copreps: pic.twitter.com/8TZPhdknIT
— Luke Zahlmann (@lucezahlmann) September 14, 2022
The pressure started to fade after Kranz scored in the 44th minute. A one-goal lead is a draw, while double the margin gives some breathing room.
“When you have a two-goal lead you can’t let go of the gas, but it gives motivation,” Kranz said. “You want to go on and keep this clean sheet.”
The second goal came in traffic. On a corner, the Kadets kept the ball close to the net and eventually scored from a few centimeters away.
The caddies are here again, this time with traffic in front of the net, and Aidan Kranz hits it. Air Academy leads 2-0 with 36:42 to go #copreps: pic.twitter.com/7OxJJ0wf4q
— Luke Zahlmann (@lucezahlmann) September 14, 2022
Pressuring a defense rejected the initial formation change. Hosoien consistently encouraged his attack to keep possession early on, but passes and lanes to advance the ball were closed off by the Rampart defence.
The change was a counter, and instead of going back at half-time, it doubled, sticking with it for the final 40 minutes as well.
While things changed throughout the win, it was also a constant that helped Kadet’s run.
A little of both is always healthy.
“The start of this team was led by Rider (Grow). He was a great leader and captain for us,” Foster said. “The coach really pushes us in training too and that has helped us a lot. We just want to keep going.”
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