Trojans take down Tigers, 4-1
Atlantic scored a 4-1 victory over Red Oak in Hawkeye 10 Conference boys soccer Thursday in Atlantic.
The Tigers (0-6) had great possession in the first half for the most part, but a slight defensive breakdown at the 29-minute mark allowed the Trojans to find the back of the net to take a 1-0 lead.
Atlantic added a goal with five minutes to go in the second half to take a 2-0 lead into halftime.
After the break, the Trojans struck quick and took a 3-0 lead just two minutes into the half.
The teams battled on the pitch back and forth and halfway through the second half, the Tigers’ Quinn Poorker found the back of the net to make it 3-1.
Late in the second half the Trojans had a free kick and an unlucky bounce away from a Tiger defender led to an insurance goal for Atlantic.
“I thought the guys had great energy today and played extremely well,” said Red Oak coach Mark Kells. “We possessed the ball for the majority of the game, and I can’t be any happier how the guys are finally working together on the pitch.”
Casey Johnson assisted on the Tigers’ goal and Wyatt Roberts had eight saves in goal.
Glenwood 8,
Red Oak 0
Glenwood jumped out to a 4-0 halftime lead and cruised to an 8-0 win over Red Oak in Hawkeye 10 Conference boys soccer at Russ Benda Field last Tuesday.
The Rams got on the board early and the added three goals over the final 11 mintues of the first half to take a 4-0 margin into intermission.
“After halftime we fought hard and never gave up, but we couldn’t overcome the Rams' offensive momentum,” said Red Oak coach Mark Kells. “They scored four goals within a 31-minute window, and we held them scoreless in the last nine minutes of the second half. The guys are starting to gel and if we keep playing like we have the past two games we will have a chance to come away with a win.”
Wyatt Roberts had 13 saves in goal for Red Oak.
Harlan 5,
Red Oak 1
Harlan used the early wind advantage to take a 3-0 lead at the half and Red Oak could never dig out in a 5-1 loss in Hawkeye 10 Conference boys soccer in Harlan last Monday.
“When we got on the bus this afternoon the weather was finally beautiful for once this spring for a soccer match. However, as soon as we got off the bus in Harlan the wind decided to pick as we started warmups,” said Red Oak coach Mark Kells. “Once again, we lost the coin toss, and we had the wind in our face the first half.”
The Tigers started off playing very aggressive and not backing down to the Cyclones, Kells said. However, a few defensive breakdowns in the 30th minute allowed Harlan to find the back of the net to take the 1-0 lead. Three minutes later, Harlan added to their lead.
The Tigers settled down and played toe to toe with the Cyclones for the next 10 minutes, but a missed kick on a goal kick took an unlucky bounce right to a Cyclone player and he got a clean strike on the ball to take a 3-0 lead into halftime.
After halftime, the Tigers had the advantage with the wind and possessed the ball very well, according to Kells, but the Cyclones managed to add to their margin with a pair of goals.
The Tigers answered in the 15th minute with their first goal of the season on a penalty kick by Santiago Vasquez.
“I thought the guys bounced back and fought every minute of today’s game after Wednesday's loss to St. Albert,” Kells said. “We are an extremely young team, and I think the guys are getting better every chance they can compete on the pitch. They just have to believe in themselves because I do.”
Spencer Fink had two goals and Nolan Schwery, Jamison Clark and Alan Lopez each added goals for Harlan.
Wyatt Roberts had 17 saves in goal for the Tigers.