NEW MARKET — A pair of Southmont goals late in the first half lifted the Mountie boys’ soccer team past North Montgomery 2-0 on Monday night.
A Tyler Petroski goal in the 32nd minute put the Mounties ahead 1-0, just before a header from Hunter Gray off a cross from Taishi Greiner made it 2-0 moments before the half.
Both goals came from freshmen, who have stepped up offensively for Southmont (1-3-1, 1-1 SAC) this season.
“I really enjoy seeing them stepping up and coming out,” Southmont second-year coach Steph Kennedy said. “Especially for a positive note next season. Losing seven seniors is definitely going to be rough time so having them be our goal scorers right now is going to be a positive note for us next year and I appreciate their hard work.”
Petroski’s goal was his second in as many games.
“Tyler Petroski is doing his thing,” Kennedy said. “He’s been stepping up in every single game and without a doubt, I can never count on him to not give 110% and that’s something I love is work ethic overall and he’s definitely giving it all.”
North Montgomery (0-4, 0-1) didn’t go down without a fight though. The shorthanded Chargers were on the field for the first time since Saturday, Aug. 21 and had just 12 available players.
“We were playing with only 12 guys out of 25 because of either injury, ineligibility or COVID, so I am very proud of the guys,” third-year coach Tristain Hall said. “Obviously the outcome isn’t what we wanted, but even then we were competitive the whole game. And again it wasn’t anything South did, it was our own mistakes and that’s encouraging to see things that we can work on and hopefully progress for the rest of the season.”
The Chargers’ hustle and energy also got the attention of Kennedy, who felt like the Mounties came out flat.
“One of the things that we talked about at halftime,” she said. “We had come out and you could tell there was no energy at all. I don’t know if it was just their mindset or what was going on, but we definitely had that conversation at half that we needed to find some energy and still be doing the right things.”
North Montgomery got strong play from its’ backline and a number of guys who worked to move the ball upfield.
“Sam Sheetz,” Hall said about who stood out. “That kid is tough, he’s a strong kid. He’s little in size, but man he’s physical, he gets after it and can read the ball well. And Henry Garver, he normally plays midfield and he switched over to stopper because we had a late injury that we found out about today so he was forced into a situation, but that’s what I expect from one of my team captains and one of my leaders.”
Southmont had a strong advantage offensively though. The Mounties took 29 shots, including nine on goal in the win, while North Montgomery squared up just a handful of kicks.
“Our goal is still making sure we are connecting that mid-field from the defensive end to the offensive end and getting that ball out wide and I told them no matter what happens for this game, our focus is to do those right things and make those simple passes and get us moving on for Frankfort and Tri-West this week,” Kennedy said.
The Mounties continue their busy week today at Frankfort, while North Montgomery travels to Sheridan.
