|
Make it two
straight, varsity boys beat S.I. 1/15
Valley Christian 2, St. Ignatius 1
At the start of this
season, the St. Ignatius Wildcats were ranked in the Nation's top 25. A
big, physical, skilled team...S.I. always gives the Warriors a tough
game. On a day perfect for soccer, the Valley Christian boys were
looking to do better than their 0-0 tie earlier in the season.
The game started with
good back and forth action. Jeff Cosgriff, S.I.'s star player was
guarded by Garrett Ruiz. Cosgriff who
recently joined the U-17 US National Team, broke through in the 12th
minute. After some confusion on the back line, Cosgriff lifted a
soft chip over oncoming Ben Hansen's head.
The goal staked the Wildcats to a 1-0 lead that held until just before
halftime.
As the whistle neared,
the Warriors started an attack with Andrew
Smith carrying the ball down field. Smith found
Cole Bales around 35 yards out. Cole hit a
shot that screamed into the right upper V and into the goal. For Bales,
it was his second goal of the year, and his first in WCAL.
"That was a great
shot. Reminds me of when Jimmy Coggan had that one against Homestead in
the first ever game Aleks and I coached at VC" commented VC assistant
coach John Basanese.
Above: Cole Bales strikes to tie the game 1-1
As the
second half started, the VC Warriors continued to have the momentum.
Several chances on each side were turned away by the 'keepers. The game
was fairly back and forth until VC broke through again in the 66th.
Chase Harrell played a nice
combination with Andrew Smith and ended up playing a square pass to
Jeff Coggan. Coggan took the ball and as
he beat his defender was fouled in the box, penalty. Jeff stepped up and
beat the goalie to the left side. 2-1.
The game
would continue to be high paced with S.I. threatening several times.
Ruiz held Cosgriff in check the rest of the game with only minimal
threat.
The VC
coaches have learned to count on Joey Stryker
and Austin Keeling for exceptional play,
and today was no different. The two were constantly on and around the
ball and challenging for headers.
Overall a
well played, clean match that could've gone either way. The Warriors
move above .500 in league now with a 3-2-3 record and will look to
improve on that vs. Serra on Tuesday. Don't miss it!
Note: That game was the
20th victory for Aleks, John, and Donny in the WCAL...Also the 20th WCAL
victory for the school.
For finished photos from the game click
here.
For all of the photos from the game (over 80)
click here.
vcsoccer.com man of the match: Cole Bales, 1g
| St. Ignatius |
1 |
0 |
1 |
| Valley Christian |
1 |
1 |
2 |
Scoring summary:
Bales (Smith) '38
Coggan (PK) '66
VC Starting Lineup: Hansen, Corry, Ruiz, McElhatton,
Bales, Zambataro, Stryker, Osuna, Keeling, Coggan, Smith
Weather: Partly cloudy 60 degrees |
