Selinsgrove defeated Central Mountain on Tuesday night in a boys soccer game, 6-2. The Seals scored four first-half goals and would sustain that lead throughout the duration of the second half.
Both teams came out with intensity from the beginning of the match. The Seals got the first shot on goal which was stopped nicely by the Wildcats goalie. Central Mountain’s defense would continue to play well early on as Selinsgrove would take a total of five shots in the first 15 minutes of the match, not scoring a single point.
But at the 26:14 mark, Selinsgrove scored his first goal of the game. Following the goal, the Wildcats responded well offensively. Wildcat used juniors Peyton Jones and Asher Talbot contributed to the pace as well as senior Nathan Brinker, but Central Mountain just couldn’t put the ball in the net.
“We need to keep getting runs into the box and have a little more purpose,” Wildcats coach, coach Hook mentioned. “We’re close. We just need to put it together.”
At the 16:09 mark, Selinsgrove’s Nick Ritter kicked a goal in after the Wildcats goalie was caught out of position following a nice save. At the 13:18 mark, Hunter Kobel scored on a penalty kick for Selinsgrove, making the score 3-0. As the half continued, the Wildcats did a nice job of making some crucial stops to prevent the Seals from putting more points on the board for the remainder of the half.
In the second half, the Wildcats struggled to get anything going right away. Selinsgrove came out striking on offense, scoring two goals within the first 10 minutes of the half. This would make the score 6-0. Although down six goals, the Wildcats refused to let up.
At the 26-minute mark, the Wildcats scored their first goal of the game. The goal came on a corner kick from Talbot to Nathan Brinker, who finished the play nicely. Central Mountain continued their fast-paced offense up the field as well as their passing and defending of the goal, which picked up intensity as the second half continued.
At the six-minute mark, Talbot would put in one more goal for the Wildcats, making the score 6-2 in favor of the Seals.
Central Mountain has a quick turnaround and plays their next match on Thursday against a solid Williamsport team, so the Wildcats have to be ready to bounce back.
“We don’t have time to sulk,” Coach Hook said. “I told them (the Wildcats) we need to be ready to go mentally and physically tomorrow so we can maybe make some adjustments.”
Selinsgrove 6, Central Mountain 2
S—Nick Ritter, 16:09. S—Hunter Kobel (13:18). S— Ritter, 7:47. S—Ben Gearhart, 38:20. M- Brinker (Asher Talbot), 64:40. CM-Talbot 84:15.
Shots: S 17, CM 14. Saves: CM 7, S 6
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