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GREENCASTLE BOYS' SOCCER SECTIONAL: Tiger Cubs grind down Patriots, reach third-straight final
It was a classic case of attack versus defense Wednesday night in the third game of IHSAA Boys’ Soccer Class 2A Sectional No. 28 between Greencastle and Owen Valley.
The Tiger Cubs attacked. The Patriots defended.
Even when the hosts held a 2-0 lead, the visitors stayed within their shell for much of the match as Greencastle advanced to the sectional final with a 3-0 win.
“That was the most organized I’ve seen Owen Valley behind the ball,” Tiger Cub head coach JD Sims said. “Once we started scoring goals, we thought they had to come out, but they didn’t come out.
“We told the boys at halftime it might be the most boring second half of soccer ever but let’s control the ball at the back and force them to come out. They did realize they had to score goals to get back in the game but we passed well in space, held the ball really well and did a lot of things well we haven’t done at times this season.”
After a few half chances from Greencastle to start the match, Owen Valley had a chance to work a free kick but the routine didn’t come off as planned as Gavin Kennedy’s attempt skied well over the goal.
Anthony Peters had a shot deflected away for a corner from which Madden Slagle had a header in front of goal that ballooned over the bar as the Tiger Cubs kept up the offensive pressure though the first 10 minutes.
Milyn Tucker saw a free kick float narrowly over the bar while Travis Overshiner couldn’t turn a cross toward goal as Owen Valley’s defense held firm.
The breakthrough finally came thanks to the Patriots as Tucker was fouled in the box midway through the half, slotting his spot kick low to the right past Timothy Roddy in goal.
Fischer Barcus had a pair of headers that went high one time and wide another before Tucker set up the second goal 10 minutes from halftime.
A rare chance to dribble at the visiting defense allowed Tucker to work the ball to Mythius Slagle, who slotted low past Roddy to double Greencastle’s advantage.
Roddy was able to keep the lead at two after saving an Overshiner header while later palming away a Tucker free kick with Mythius Slagle offside on the rebound attempt as the Tiger Cubs continued to pressure through the end of the half.
The hosts made it 3-0 five minutes into the second half despite the best efforts of Roddy and the Patriot defense.
Cyrus Gurnon picked up a loose ball and fired a shot from distance that required a full stretch save from Roddy. Mythius Slagle was first to the rebound but saw his effort cleared off the line.
Owen Valley couldn’t clear the ball, however, and Tucker eventually shot from distance past Roddy to make it a three-goal advantage.
Up against it, the Patriots finally came out of their shell but outside of several long throw ins rarely troubled Conor Petrie in goal.
“We tried to get the ball out wide and not push everything through the middle,” Sims said once the visitors began to play up the pitch. “We got it wide, found space and moved as a unit.
“We played less long balls and we were able to make the game our tempo. Even when (Owen Valley) brought a little chaos, we were able to get control back and bring the pace back to what we wanted it to be.”
Owen Valley’s best chance to cut into the lead came from a Kennedy free kick that floated over the bar in the final five minutes.
With the win, Greencastle advances to the sectional final Saturday at 7 p.m. to face Northview, who defeated Sullivan 4-2 in the second game of the sectional, the third-straight meeting between the two schools in the sectional final.
The two teams played out an entertaining 4-3 match earlier this year with the Tiger Cubs rallying from 2-1 down at halftime with three second half goals despite giving away an own goal when in a comfortable position.
“We need to be more organized at the back as (Northview) plays three up front and will be looking to find width on the outside,” Sims said about facing the Knights again. “They think they have more speed than we do and will play behind our guys, so we need to position well to handle that.
“When we played the first time, our backline was a little disjointed, but we’ve started to solidify that since that. If we can control possession, move the ball smartly and put more effort in than them, we should be able to bring our third sectional home.”