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Grant County ends Royals season with 2-0 win in 23rd District semifinal
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By MATT MONTAVON Sports Writer
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On second day of play in the 23rd District boys' tournament at Tom Browning Boys and Girls Club, another local soccer season come to a close as Mason County fell 2-0 to Grant County in a semifinal matchup.
Though most of the game was contested at midfield or in Grant County's zone, the Braves made the most of their scoring opportunities, striking twice early and holding on for the win.
Nine minutes into the game, a cross off the foot of Grant County senior A.J. Jarrell found its way through several players from both teams to junior Anthony Clouse, who was waiting on the back post to tap the ball in for an easy score. Later in the half, Braves junior Christian Cain stepped in front of a Mason County pass and then beat goalkeeper Kyle Thompson for the score.
"It is what it is," said Mason County coach Brett Redwine. "We really just didn't do enough to win the game and just didn't piece enough things together. One of their goals was a mistake goal and the other was a one-on-one with the keeper, and you can't expect him to stop those. If someone wins a one-on-one, they're supposed to finish it and they did. We just didn't give ourselves opportunities until late when we were really pressing."
Though Grant County wouldn't pose much of a threat on the offensive end in the second half, the Braves were able to keep Mason from getting any good looks either. The Royals would actually finish with 12 shots to Grant County's 11, but most were from far outside the box or didn't have much of a chance. The closest call came on from a header from Thompson -- moved from keeper to forward in the second half to provide extra scoring punch -- which sailed just wide right of the goal.
Redwine attributed the Royals' struggles on offense to the play of Grant County's defenders.
"They have a really big, really solid back four," Redwine said. "Especially their two center backs, (Neal Koebcke) and (Andrew Hemsath). They were both excellent and they were just really hard for us to deal with throughout the game. It seemed like every touch was just a little out in front or too heavy and they swarmed it up. They did a good job of not letting us get off any good shots."
In their first year under Redwine, the Royals finish with a 7-11-1 record, improving by three wins and scoring 32 more goals than last season. Though they went through their share of struggles, Redwine praised the effort of his squad.
"I can't say enough about how proud I am of these guys," Redwine said. "We've gone through a lot this season that we've kept amongst us, and it hasn't been an easy season. We're missing players to suspensions, and I'm not going to say it wouldn't be different if they were here, but there were decisions that had to be made. I can't say enough about the remaining guys I have because they've really buckled down."
Redwine sees the signs of improvement within the program, and though he is excited about what the future holds, he admits that he will miss the Royals' senior class.
"I think we really showed that these kids know how to play the game," Redwine added. "When they committed to me in July, they really committed to learn about the game and I think they've learned a lot. Hopefully we're building and progressing. I hate that for our seniors because it's been a great group of seniors. They're absolutely wonderful and I couldn't ask for a better senior class to have in my first year."
Grant County (10-7-1) advances to Thursday's championship game. The Braves will meet the winner of today's semifinal between Pendleton County (10-4-3) and Walton-Verona (3-12).
Grant County 2 0 -- 2
Mason County 0 0 -- 0
GC -- Clouse, 9th minute
GC -- Cain, 37th minute
Records: Grant County 10-7-1, Mason County 7-11-1. |
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