With playoff positioning and crosstown bragging rights both at stake, Choctaw defeated Fort Walton Beach 4-2 at Joe Etheredge Stadium on Monday night.
- Kameron Kestner and Jamaarie Alcide each finished with two goals to lead the Indians, who completed the season sweep of their rival and improved to 9-2-2 overall.
“This is a good win for us coming off a loss to Tate,” Choctaw coach Travis Rovillo said. “We were on a run for a while, but Tate kind of shut that down, so we knew that coming back and getting a win over Fort would be huge for us and our momentum.”
The opening minutes featured a defensive stalemate before both teams began generating chances. Fort Walton threatened early when Christopher Reyes hit a long pass to Brody Bentley, and both Bentley and Alhan Monzant got shots off, but neither found the net. Juanma Cotes and Christopher Reyes also had attempts go wide for the Vikings in the first half.
Choctaw broke through before halftime when Alcide scored the game’s opening goal. Fort Walton nearly answered when Bentley created a scoring opportunity, but strong defensive plays from Bart Davis and Christian Nelson kept the Vikings off the board.
- Kestner extended the lead after receiving a pass from Johnny Reyes off a Malloy Hansen inbound, and Choctaw took a 2-0 advantage into halftime. Vikings goalkeeper Wesley Markoch made a save on Hansen to keep it a two-goal game.
Fort Walton found life in the second half. After goalkeeper Dominick Richards made an early save on a Yulesti Herrera attempt, Wilmar Munoz gained possession and the Vikings worked the ball up field before Bentley finished to cut the deficit to 2-1.
Choctaw had chances to extend the lead. Alcide streaked up the field and found Kestner, but the shot went high. Brayden Heath came up with a steal that led to a Hansen shot, but Markoch made another save. Johnny Reyes later found Alcide after a steal, but his attempt also sailed over the net.
- Isaac Holbrook converted a penalty kick to level the score at 2-2.
The tie didn’t last long. Kestner scored his second goal to put Choctaw back in front 3-2, and Alcide added an insurance goal in the final minutes to seal the victory.
Christian Nelson, Andrew Rynearson and Davis anchored the Indians’ defensive effort, while Richards came up with key saves throughout.
Rovillo credited his two-goal scorers for carrying the attack.
“We know that with them up top, goals are going to happen,” Rivello said. “You can shut one of them down, but it leaves the other wide open.”
Alcide kept his postgame assessment simple: “I did my thing. My team backed me up. We’re looking forward to next week.”
Kestner acknowledged the stakes heading into the final stretch of the regular season.
- “We don’t have many more losses left in us,” Kestner said. “We’re trying to be up in playoffs, and Fort’s our rival of course. We want to beat them.”
Fort Walton Beach (6-4-2) travels to face Columbia on Friday.
Choctaw (9-2-2) hosts Booker T. Washington on Thursday.
