First half propels OHS over Aces
Sep. 15—Owensboro High School scored four first-half goals and held off Owensboro Catholic to capture a 5-1 boys' soccer victory Thursday night at OCHS's Independence Bank Field.
OHS senior Sang Thang scored two first-half goals to spark the Red Devils' momentum, senior Peter Saang dished three assists, and freshman Kyle Hardison added a goal and an assist in the win.
"I thought we played well," OHS coach Ryan Haley said afterward. "We've had a season of missing several guys, so they've kind of been down, spirited-wise, and I think this was a good game.
"We were able to spread them out a little bit, possess the ball, we were able to attack our wings, we were able to move some guys well — I thought they played a good game."
Thang, Owensboro's leading scorer, scored on plays when the Red Devils (6-6, 4-2 9th District) targeted the flanks for their early attacks.
"We played the majority of that game with three freshmen in the middle, and they did a good job," Haley said. "I thought we found the flanks pretty well, to score our first and second goal. That's something that we've been trying to solve since being riddled with so many injuries."
Catholic senior Brody Martin scored on an assist from sophomore Luke Pfeifer to trim the deficit to 2-1 with 22:33 left in the first half. However, the Aces (6-6, 2-4) couldn't get any closer from there.
"We thought the effort was good both halves, but the application of things in the first half was really disappointing," said OCHS coach Andy Donohoe. "I thought we were naive in some areas of our spacing and our positioning, but the second half we shored things up.
"But the one we scored was a special one from a pretty special player."
OHS regained the momentum less than 10 minutes later when Hardison scored on a shot rebound, followed by junior Kaden Youngman's goal with 10:10 left in the half — providing the Red Devils a three-goal lead that stood through intermission.
The Red Devils capped off scoring on freshman Patrick Alexander's goal with 16:13 left in the game.
Freshman Denis Juma also had an assist for Owensboro, which recorded a 23-6 shot advantage.
"To be able to come out here today and move the ball well, and for our freshmen to step up the way they did, I thought it was really good," said Haley, whose team was missing four starters. "I thought our captains, Sang, Arlo (Johnson) and Peter, did a very good job of really controlling this game from different perspectives that they're not used to, and they did a good job.
"Overall, we're happy to get the win. It's a district win, and we're happy to move along into our season."
Aces senior goalkeeper Ben Dawson was credited with seven saves.
Both teams return to action Saturday, with Owensboro hosting No. 17 Warren Central and Catholic traveling to face Todd County Central in All 'A' Classic sectional play.
