NEW MARKET – A solid second half couldn’t overcome a slow start in a 5-2 Southmont boys soccer loss to North Putnam.
Down 3-0 at the half, South played the Cougars even the second 40 minutes, but still fall to 2-3-1 on the season, while North Put remains unbeaten at 7-0, which includes a win over North Montgomery.
“I’m not sure we were ready enough for them in the first half, said Mounties coach Steph Kennedy. “The second half was much better, and we really did a lot of the little things better that we need to do throughout a match.”
South actually got the match to a 3-2 margin when Hunter Gray netted his second goal of the match.
The junior had deposited a penalty kick into the back of the net at the 23:12 mark, and the second goal, which goes as unassisted but was set up by Isaac Becerril, came at 16:29 and had the home folks thinking upset.
The coach was also.
“We had the momentum,” Kennedy said. “If we could have done those little things, made that one pass or play, and put some more pressure on them, we might have been able to use that second goal to get the third.”
That was not happening, however, as the Cougars re-energized their first half offense and got a couple goals to pad the lead.
Nolan Hackleman was the nemesis for South, as the senior assisted on the fourth goal and scored the fifth, unassisted after a steal.
The goal was his third of the match.
The Cougars’ first-half margin was built on an Evan Polley penalty kick, and two Hackleman goals. Polley assisted on the third goal.
South goal keeper Paul Hazlett faced 13 shots on goal, and the Cougars had a short 10 attacks that had shots go just wide or high.
The Mounties put nine shots on NP goalie Michael Ali, Jr., but did not have nearly that many secondary chances.
“Lucas Oppy had a good night for us,” Kennedy said of the junior. “He is becoming a leader on the field for us, and a motivator. That is a good sign, as the players are working to make this a better team.”
The captains and motivators won’t have any issues getting the team ready for the next match, as next up is Crawfordsville next Tuesday.
“The guys just have to believe in themselves, and that is our goal.” Kennedy said. “We have all the potential, and I know they will be fired up to play Crawfordsville.”
That match, postponed last week because of the heat, will be at South.
