Gray clouds weren’t the only thing threatening to dampen the evening for Brave SC Wednesday night when the Buffalo paid a visit to Brevard SC.
The looming possibility of lightning delays, a modified lineup to allow certain key players some rest, and a scoreless first half seemed to portend trouble, but, while the skies held off, the Buffalo broke open the floodgates with a barrage of second-half goals in a 4-1 win over the Southeast Division’s last-place side.
“We still had a strong lineup — very strong,” head coach Anderson DaSilva said. “The first half was very challenging because the weather wasn’t too good, we were concerned a bit with lightning, and we were forcing the ball a little bit because we didn’t want to take the risk (of not scoring before a delay). We managed to hit the crossbar, a couple close finishes, but we couldn’t score. “
Brave SC (3-0-2) entered the contest aware of the potential need for a quick goal as lightning delays could have brought the match to an abrupt conclusion once the first half was completed. Fortunately for the visitors, the weather stayed mild with only a few small showers, affording the Buffalo time to earn the full three points.
“I think we were just persistent with it,” midfielder Lui Bradbury said. “I think we kept sticking to our game plan and we all knew once we got the first, we were going to get a few. It’s been like that the last two games, so I think we just keep doing what we’re doing.”
Yet another frustrating start gave way to another comfortable win, though. After halftime, the Buffalo switched to a 3-4-3 formation to boost the attack, which paid off in the form of four goals.
“I think we started combining more in the middle — moving more and making these little passes between me and Matheus,” midfielder Fabio Rodrigues said. “I think that really opened up space because they came inside and opened up space out wide and, when we went wide, that created space in the middle. That movement off the ball really helped us a lot.”
Midfielder Matheus Ferreira scored the first of the Buffalo’s four goals, his third consecutive match with a tally. As he has in the last two contests, Rodrigues matched him with a strike that deflected down off the crossbar, also securing an assist for Niclas Wittur.
Brevard (0-5-1) pulled the lead back within a goal, scoring on a corner kick in the 63rd minute. Brave quickly answered, though, with a goal by Alvaro Carrera, assisted by Nico Diaz, and Bradbury rang up the final score with his first notch of the season, assisted by Nazar Deputat.
“I was relieved, to be honest,” Bradbury said of his goal. “I’ve been getting frustrated in the last couple games, not quite getting the chances. In training, Coach Anderson’s been telling me to get more shots off and trust my technique, so hopefully I can build off of that.”
With the win, the Buffalo improved to 3-0-2 on the season, keeping pace with Nona FC (4-0-2), which they’ll host in their next match this Saturday.
“I think we’ll prepare like we always do,” Bradbury said. “We’ll go into it knowing Nona are a very good side, but I’m confident in the boys, confident we’ve got some talented players, and the togetherness of the group is stronger than it was when we first came in, so I’m confident that we can get the job done on Saturday.”
Brave SC and Nona FC will face off at 7 p.m. at The Range at The Villages Charter Middle School.
For more information about Brave SC, including the roster, Southeast Division standings and a complete schedule, visit BraveSC.com.