The game against Goshen was a crucial one on the Panther's schedule. After a bad outing at Warsaw, a good NorthWood performance would be important. The coaching staff felt that the team had been well prepared and had shifted some players around and adjusted the formation in which it would play.
The focus would be more on the defensive side of the ball. The prayer contest before the game was won by the Panthers who outlasted the Redskins by a good 11 seconds.
The man in the middle was the same as the one we had in the Bremen game and we were hoping for a little bit better performance which, of course, shouldn't be too tough. It would turn out that he did a little better although some calls were questionable especially his decision to stop the clock late in the second half when NW would take a corner.Graybeard has to be the first ref to ever stop the clock while waiting for a player to make it to the flag for a corner kick.
FIRST HALF
NorthWood lost the toss and apparently also the kick off which was a first, although, again, this might have been another gaffe by the arbiter trio.
Right from the start, NW would look organized defensively and from the back was able to possess from time to time. Pressure on the Redskins was applied no higher then the middle of the field. The Panthers were able to keep their shape and frustrate Goshen offensively throughout the first half. Halfway thru the first half, Goshen was the team who possessed the ball more but the Panthers seem to get comfortable with their new style of play against a good opponent.
The halftime score of 0-0 reflected the play on the field.
HALF TIME
During the half, Coach Duerksen tells the players that defensively they have done a great job and all they need to work on is playing to feet to improve the passing and therefore our possession of the ball. Expecting Goshen to adjust to the way we play, the coaches stress to the players that Goshen might start taking more shots from outside the box.
SECOND HALF
In the 44th minute, Carter Beebe makes his first run up the sideline to support a Panther attack from the back. In the first half, Barahona had accomplished the same feat. In the 45th, Goshen's #9 driblles thru the defense to come face to face with Kyle, who stops the shot. It would not be Kyle's last heroic save of the night. In the 47th, Josh Ailes takes a long distance shot that misses to the right of the pipes.
In the 54th minute, Connor crosses a ball high in the Goshen box. Two defenders and the keeper go up for the ball. The keeper collides with a defender and goes down momentarily. The ball ends up in front of Noodle who directs his shot to the right side of the goal. The ball finds the net to put the Panthers ahead 1-0. Only four minutes later it is Conner who passes a ball to Eddie who, in turn, shoots at the goal. The Goshen GK makes a save to prevent the second goal of the night.
In the 65th, Eddie passes a ball to Ailes who dribbles the ball up and takes a good shot at the goal but it goes over.
NW is winning most challenges, surely a great difference from the game two nights ago. Despite the high pitch screeching from the Goshen sideline, NorthWood maintained their focus on the game at hand. In the 68th minute, Goshen creates their second good opportunity of the half but Kyle prevents the ball from going in by diving on the loose ball. It was again Goshen's #9 who made it thru the box to go 1v1 against Kyle but it was again Kyle who came out on top with a strong save. But the pressure did not all come from the Redskin side in the last 10 minutes. In the 72nd minute of play, Eddie took a free kick from about 27 out and put it high on the frame. The Goshen goalie struggled to keep the ball out of the net and the save results in a NW corner followed by another corner. With only 5 minutes left to play, Goshen goes one on one with Kyle for the last time in this game, Kyle stops the intital attack and the ball ends up in front of another Goshen midfielder who kicks the ball over the goal. Final result a 1-0 NLC win against #21 Goshen. A quality win by a quality team! Truly a team effort and one of the better, if not the best performance by a NW soccer team. Especially defensively, this is the best organized game the team has ever played.
NOTES
The win over Goshen puts the Panthers (2-2) ahead of the Redskins(2-3) in the overall NLC standings. The varsity record now stands at 8-3. This was also the fourth shutout of the season (Mishawaka/Wawasee/Glenn/Goshen).
Next game: Varsity - 10 am tomorrow at home versus South Bend Riley!
The JV lost 8-1 to Goshen's JV and their record is 2-7. The JV will play in the Goshen NLV JV Tourney tomorrow.
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