KETTERING - Last night the Fairmont Firebirds Men's Soccer team hosted the Thunderbolts of Northmont High School. The Birds raced to a quick 1-0 lead in the third minute with Nate Bittner nabbing his third goal of the season courtesy of an assist from Grey Danner. Two minutes later, Gavin Fourman started a lightning attack from his goal box, sending the ball to Freddy Irakoze, who played quickly to Bien Niyonkuru, who then slotted Will Herman through, but his shot was just wide of the mark. Herman would make no mistake in the eighth minute, doubling the Birds’ lead following a second assist from Danner.

The Bolts struggled mightily against the Fairmont defense and could only muster hopeful shots from afar. In the twenty-fifth minute, Freddy Irakoze played the ball to Herman, who bagged his brace with a touch past the keeper. Fourman exhibited his sweeper/keeper skills with three minutes remaining in the half, rushing forty yards from his box to snuff out what would have been a breakaway chance for the visitors. The teams went into the half with the Birds enjoying a comfortable 3-0 lead.

Fairmont began the second half with a blitzkrieg attack from the opening kickoff. Herman played the ball quickly to Freddy Irakoze, who found man-of-the-match Torin Brock in space to extend the Birds’ lead to four with only sixteen seconds gone in the half. Brock was the architect of many attacks throughout the game and notched his seventh assist of the season, feeding the ball to Bien who fired past the visitors’ keeper. Fairmont rattled the woodwork three more times but were unable to find a sixth goal on the night. Northmont ruined the Birds’ clean sheet with ten minutes left to play in a questionable offside goal that was somehow allowed to stand. However, the victory was never in doubt, and the Birds secured their second straight win in the GWOC.

Fairmont will continue its pursuit of a fifth straight win this Saturday, September 27th when it hosts
Moeller High School. Reserve kickoff is at 9:30 a.m., JV kickoff is at 10:45 a.m., and Varsity is at 12:30
p.m. Go Birds!