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Second half goal lifts Covington past North Putnam
BAINBRIDGE — The top-20 boys' soccer clash between No. 15 North Putnam and No. 19 Covington lived up the hype on Tuesday evening.
After being tied 2-2 at halftime, both defenses clamped down in the final 40 minutes, but the visiting Trojans got an early second half goal from Curt Slider and that was all they needed to come away with a 3-2 win.
What was a bright spot for the Cougars in the first half was that, after each time Covington took the lead, North Putnam had an answer.
Covington (8-4) struck first in the eighth minute when Landon Carrion found the back of the net to put the Trojans up 1-0. After controlling possession for most of the first 10 minutes, the Cougars began to find their own rhythm and ultimately got on the board to even things at 1-1 thanks to Brayden Chew.
Both teams then battled back and forth for another 10 minute stretch and at the 25-minute mark, the Trojans re-took the lead with Creux Rieman beating the Cougar defense down the field and finding just enough space in the back-left part of the net to give Covington a 2-1 advantage.
The last goal of the first half happened just three minutes later when Isaac Polley as once again the Cougars responded to go into the half tied at 2-2.
North Putnam had some chances in the final 30 minutes to put the game-tying goal in but the Trojan defense held strong and was able to pick up the win.
Cougar coach Kyle Morgan voiced his displeasure with his team’s performance, specifically in the second half.
“We simply didn’t create enough offense tonight,” Morgan said. “I really thought our effort would have been a lot better in the second half but it just wasn’t there.
"We didn’t execute on the things we talked about at halftime. Bad habits tend to creep in when things get tough like they did tonight, and those bad habits resulted us in not being able to put this game away.”
North Putnam falls to 9-3-2 on the season with the loss and the Cougars have just one more game left in the regular season before sectional play begins. That game is against an even tougher opponent in the Cascade Cadets who are 12-1 on the season and ranked No. 9 in Class 2A.
Morgan knows it will be another big test for his team but says his team can still go in and compete.
“It comes down to us deciding that we want to be there and play a good soccer game against a really good team,” he said. “It starts with coming in with a lot of energy and the mentality that we can compete.
"What I’m looking for in this team is something that tells me that they still want it. We can work though some hard things and fight through the adversity that we’re having right now.”
After Wednesday’s game against the Cadets, North Putnam will get ready for the Class A Sectional 40 tournament hosted by Southmont. The Cougars drew Bethesda Christian in game two on Monday night which is scheduled to get underway around 7 p.m. Back on Aug. 29 the Patriots and the Cougars tied at 3-3.