Catholic Central keeps pace before Maroon Knights pull away
Trending
STEUBENVILLE -- The Catholic Central boys’ soccer team battled rival Wheeling Central for about 70 minutes of play, however, the Maroon Knights took control thanks to a 10-minute stretch of game time.
The Maroon Knights tallied a goal with about three minutes left to play in the first half, and the boys from Ohio County collected two more early in the second half en route to a 5-0 victory in the second game of a girls’ and boys’ doubleheader Tuesday evening on the Tony Recinella Soccer Field.
“You talk about different periods of time, and you never want to give up a goal late in the first half,” Catholic Central (2-2-3) head coach Steve Kopcha said. “After that, I hoped we were still in a good position going into the second half, but we gave up a couple more goals early in the half and they were able to put the game out of reach.”
The Maroon Knights were able to control the ball for the majority of the game.
“In the first half, we had a lot of control,” Wheeling Central (5-0-2) head coach Brian Komorowski said. “We controlled the game. We had a lot of possession. We did a really-good job of possessing the ball, but they were strong defensively and we did not capitalize on our opportunities.
“This was our first time playing on grass this season. It was a new thing for us. It took some time for us to get used to it and the pace of the play, but once we got a feel for it we did a much better job.”
Maddox Ochap produced a goal and a pair of assists to lead the way for the visitors. Four other players -- JD Schoolcraft, Logan Schoolcraft, Luca Cipriani and Cooper Crews -- also contributed goals for the victors, while Luke Hevener ended up with a pair of assists and Cade Taylor collected one.
Tino Sperlazza made a pair of saves late in goal in the second half to preserve the shutout.
“We start three freshmen,” Komorowski said. “We are relying on some younger guys. We are coming off a really-good run last year in the state tournament. I wish Saturday’s result was different. I wish we won instead of tied, but we are where I expected us to be at this point in the season.”
Catholic Central goalie Joseph Vranish made a couple saves in the first half to keep the boys from Jefferson County in the game. However, the boys in white were eventually able to break through and take control of the game.
“First of all, they are a good team,” Kopcha said. “They had a lot of possession in the game. They are a skilled team. They were able to control the game. They were able to possess the ball, and they forced us to play a lot of defense. We tried to hold it together as long as we could. At crucial times, we made some mistakes, and we made some bad plays. Good teams capitalize in those situations, and they did. They took advantage of those opportunities.”
There is a lot of respect between the two head coaches and the two teams.
“They are a very-good team,” Kopcha said. “They have a mix of guys. They have some newer guys, but they also have a lot of returning guys. They have good leadership from their seniors and juniors. They have a mix of talent.”
The Blue-and-Gold also has its fair share of younger players on the roster this season.
“They are young,” Komorowski said. “They are building. Their numbers are good. They are building back up. They have lost a lot the past few seasons. Steve and I go way back. They are building things back. They are going to have a strong future.”
Catholic Central is scheduled to play Trinity Christian at 6:30 p.m. tonight on the road.
Wheeling Central is slated to play John Marshall at 7:30 p.m. Thursday night on the road.
The Catholic Central girls shut out Weir, 3-0, in the first game of the doubleheader.