Tiger Cubs offense can't bite back against Bruins in sectional loss
BROWNSBURG -- The Greencastle boys' soccer team followed the same path it has for most of the season against Tri-West in the Indiana High School Athletic Association sectional semifinal on Wednesday: possess the ball, get quality chances and struggle to score.
The Tiger Cubs lost to the Bruins, 5-0, despite controlling the pace of play throughout the first half.
Tri-West advances to Saturday's sectional final where it will take on host Bethesda Christian.
While the Tiger Cubs got looks and failed to capitalize, the Bruins found a way to score every time they made a run.
"They finished; the chances they got they put the ball in the net," GHS coach Dave Lilly said. "I thought we started out playing really well. I was hoping we could keep it close because we needed it to be a low-scoring game."
The Bruins opened the scoring in the eighth minute of the first half when sophomore Jaret Degoyler scored on a run, getting the ball past GHS senior keeper Zane Miller.
Degoyler and sophomore Joey Pfeifer both added one goal in the first half. All of the Bruins' strikes came from inside the six-yard box.
"The key in the first half was their ability to put the ball in the net on the first chances they got," Lilly said.
GHS possessed the ball but over-passed at times, resulting in late turnovers crossing passes that didn't get to the net. This was in part because of a tentativeness, a missing "killer instinct" that has been absent all year, Lilly said.
But part may have been chemistry. The Tiger Cubs were working new strikers into attacks, hoping their traditional goal scorers would draw in the defense and leave quality looks for new, unscouted players, particularly sophomore Derek Query.
"We've lacked that somebody who goes really hard, scrums for the ball and can finish," Lilly said. "(Query) looked pretty good finishing in practice the last couple weeks. ... I knew he wouldn't be on the radar so the main scorers that we have, we kind of pulled them back."
The result was 14 shots in the game with just ten on net. Sophomore Lucas Rutherford had five saves in the first half for the Bruins and senior Matt Buckner had five in the second half.
The offense for both teams was stagnant in the second half as Tri-West began to exert its will and work the ball around patiently, killing clock and waiting for an opportunity. Senior Logan Stroup had two such opportunities and capitalized on both, once in the 42nd-minute and once in the 68th-minute.
The Tiger Cubs were disappointed by the lopsided loss, but Lilly said his team had big goals and to reach them, they knew they would have to get past Tri-West at some point.
"I expect them to play in the regional final at Greencastle next week," Lilly said.
The sectional defeat marked the final varsity game for seniors Zane Miller, Paul Heithaus, Tanner Dean, Isaac Harms, Jaymz Newmann and Oscar Mitchell.
The versatile group will be tough to replace, Lilly said, but the young squad has a bright future.
"They, as seniors, were great, as far as motivating the younger guys, setting the example and by the work they do," Lilly said. "Jaymz played a lot of minutes because we needed somebody to protect that back line, and he did a heck of a job back there. ... It was nice to have (Dean) back. It would have been nicer to have him the year he took off to focus on golf.
"Zane and Paul, guys who played the last four years, are some of the top that we've had for quite a while. Paul is a heck of an athlete. He's an excellent player and he could play in a lot of position.
"... We felt like the best thing for us was him in the center back and Zane in goal. We wouldn't have asked for better captains than those two."
IHSAA Boys' Soccer Sectional Quarterfinal
At Bethesda Christian High School
Tri-West..........3 2 -- 5
Greencastle.....0 0 -- 0
Scoring
First half
TW 8th Minute -- Degoyler, 1-0
TW 17th minute -- Pfeifer (from Waite), 2-0
TW 33rd minute -- Degoyler (from Miller), 3-0
Second half
TW 42nd minute -- Stroup (from Degoyler), 4-0
TW 68th minute -- Stroup, 5-0
Shots-on goal
TW 26-16, GC 14-10