MICHAEL PISTELLA / mpistella@breezenewspapers.com Ida Baker sophomore Jonathan Martinez (10) moves the ball into the Bulldogs’ offensive zone during Tuesday’s match against Fort Myers. To view more photos from the match, see the Cape Coral Breeze Facebook page.

The Ida Baker boys soccer team dropped a non-district home match against a talented Fort Myers squad 3-0 on Tuesday night.

Despite being shorthanded with injury, the Bulldogs (4-9-3) held their own taking on a Green Wave (10-2-2) team that sits atop their league.

Ida Baker controlled the movement of play in the early minutes before Fort Myers figured out their scheme and gave Bulldogs head coach Cris Greene a little different look than they had anticipated.

“We came into the game knowing it was going to be fast paced. We’ve done the film on these guys and know how talented they are,” Greene said. “What got us was their formation was a little different than we thought it was going to be so we had to work a little bit and change. We started out well and held our own, but once they figured us out, that’s all it took.”

It took Fort Myers until the final moments of the first half to put one past junior Baker goalkeeper Elijah Perez, who made a few stellar saves on the night. Sophomore defenseman Kevin Greenen was the goal scorer before the break and Fort Myers turned it up even more in the second stanza.

MICHAEL PISTELLA / mpistella@breezenewspapers.com Ida Baker senior midfielder Bryan Verdecia (11) pushes the ball upfield during the Bulldogs’ match against Fort Myers Tuesday night. To view more photos from the match, see the Cape Coral Breeze Facebook page.

Senior Samir Spaulding netted two goals within two minutes of one another to give Fort Myers a 3-0 advantage and the eventual final tally.

Greene said despite being shorthanded with four top players out, he was proud of his team’s effort against a formidable opponent.

“I was impressed and happy with everyone’s play,” he said.

The Green Wave have outscored their opponents 40-10 on the year and will ride a five-game winning streak into a clash against a Gulf Coast (13-2-2) team that is having an excellent year.

For the Bulldogs, they will next take on cross-town rival Island Coast in their last district game with seeding on the line tonight at home. The Bulldogs currently sit in second place, with a win or draw securing the No. 2 seed and a date against the lowest seeded team.

“We want to make sure we’re in the best position possible,” Greene said.

This is Greene’s third year as head coach at Ida Baker in what he calls a “building” season.

“We have a 5-year plan,” he said. “We’re really working hard and trying to make a legacy team. Next year will be a big year for us and even more so two years from now.”

Baker, as it stands, boasts a capable defensive unit, along with energized midfielders who can move the ball. The facet of the game Greene most wants to see improve as the season winds down and into next year is the attack.

“We worked really hard on the defense and we’ve been working on the attack this year,” Greene said. “We’ve got a lot of work to do in the next two days.”

— Connect with this reporter on Twitter: @haddad_cj