HARTLAND — Avery Bryan just needed to score one goal.
Once that happened, he figured everything else would fall into place for his junior soccer season at Hartland.
So, after going without a goal in his first three games, he essentially called his shot as Hartland was preparing for a big rivalry game Sept. 3 at Brighton.
“I was in my slump,” Bryan said. “I kept telling my parents and my cousins who go to Brighton, ‘I don’t know why, but I feel the Brighton game will be the game I turn it around,’ especially because they’re our rival. I wanted to put myself out there. I knew it would be a good game to do it.”
Bryan indeed scored that night, opening the scoring in a 2-2 tie against the Bulldogs to trigger a run in which he scored 16 goals over Hartland’s final 17 games.
He also scored in all three games against Brighton, leading the Eagles to a 2-0-1 record against their long-time nemesis. Those performances against Brighton, in large part, are why Bryan was chosen as Livingston County’s boys soccer Player of the Year by the Livingston Daily.
With the graduation of 20 seniors and the return of only five players, Hartland needed someone to take charge offensively.
Bryan, who was one of those returners, moved from the outside to the striker position and delivered Hartland’s best scoring season in seven years. His 16 goals were the most by an Eagle since Brady Walker scored 21 in 2017.
With Bryan unable to score in Hartland’s first three games, the Eagles started 0-2-1 against three state-ranked opponents with only one goal. Once he found the net against Brighton, the Eagles went 10-5-2 the rest of the season.
“That’s frustrating, especially being the striker of the team and the goal scorer,” Bryan said. “It was impacting not just me, but also the team. I knew I had to do something, get out of my own head, and turn it around.
“Once I got the ball in the net, I felt like that’s all I needed. I really just needed to see that net ripple. Once I saw it ripple, I was able to do it more consistently.”
Bryan found a magical connection with fellow junior Paulo Gjolaj, a dynamic ballhandler who had nine goals and seven assists.
“We never played with each other before last year,” Bryan said. “Once we finally got to play multiple minutes on the field, we started to figure out each other’s play styles. We knew each other’s strengths and weaknesses. We found a way to make it work pretty often.
“I’m definitely excited for next season. I think we’ll be very good. We have a lot of potential for next year.”
Contact Bill Khan at wkhan@gannett.com. Follow him on X @BillKhan
