Recap: Talawanda boys soccer moves to 8-0-0 after 3-0 shutout victory at Franklin
"Everybody just showed up all game. We didn't waver at all. It was a great game."
A stifling defense and two early goals propelled the Brave to their eighth win of the season
The Talawanda High School boys’ soccer team was off to a roaring 7-0-0 start under head coach Jeremy Jones, the best in his tenure at the helm, when on a slightly cloudy Tuesday evening, the Brave headed 30 minutes north to Atrium Memorial Stadium, home of the also-undefeated Franklin Wildcats. Both teams battled not just for bragging rights in a rivalry, but the chance to stay atop the Southwestern Buckeye League (SWBL) standings.
The Brave took advantage and are now the only remaining undefeated squad.
The match officially kicked off at 7:17 p.m. E.T. with Franklin owning first possession. However, the Brave set the tone early. After a turnover in front of the Talawanda bench, senior Noel Albarran had the opportunity to burst down the wing for a chance on goal following the throw-in. The team’s leading goal scorer was unable to convert, but he laid the groundwork for what was to come.
Albarran generated another turnover in the fifth minute of play and was in on goal, but the ball bounced too far ahead for him to get a shot off. However, it wasn’t long after that senior forward Brayden Kent scored following an excellent long ball outlet from Austin Vonderhaar on the backline in the eighth minute to put Talawanda up 1-0.
Talawanda junior defender Evan Arnos took a free kick to the feet of junior forward Ryder Hicks, Talawanda’s leading assist man, and he was able to find another open lane. A slick move along the end line put him in prime position to make a pass, and the unmarked man was, once again, Kent. He struck it home to put the Brave up 2-0.
The play began tilting back toward the Wildcats when, in the 20th minute, senior Wildcat striker Tito Harrison had a good look in the box, but the Talawanda backline denied any opportunity with a couple of blocks. Harrison also made an attempt at goal from 20 yards out, but it narrowly missed the top left corner.
The Brave continued to find Hicks, who was the catalyst for the offense with Albarran now on the bench. Looking for his own tally, the junior forward curled a ball in from the left, but a diving stop from Franklin senior goalkeeper Brady Lucas kept the Brave lead at two goals.
With four minutes remaining in the first half, Talawanda had a clear look at goal when junior forward Barrett Markwell sent a long pass over the Franklin defense. Sophomore forward Josiah Perry put a bump on the Wildcats defender, drawing ire from the home crowd, but hit the left post to the relief of those rooting for the boys in their home red and black uniforms.
The Brave took a 2-0 lead into halftime thanks to Kent’s two goals early.
Despite another fast early possession after the second-half kickoff, it was the Wildcats who took charge early. Albarran once again led the charge for Talawanda, but a big save by the Franklin netminder Lucas gave them all they needed for some bursts up the field.
Within a five-minute span, the Wildcats saw three high-quality opportunities miss the mark or not be given a chance at all, the third of which was a great low ball from Harrison to the foot of senior Elijah Koss. However, a hard first touch sent the ball out of bounds on what looked like a sure goal.
Harrison looked as if he scored the home team’s first goal of the game around the 20-minute mark, but after the crowd erupted and the referees investigated further, the ball hit the side netting. Talawanda still led 2-0, with their bench celebrating to the dismay of the home fans.
The Brave came back with an attack from Albarran, Vonderhaar, Hicks and Markwell, generating a couple of rebound chances in the 20th minute, but to no avail. Albarran sent a couple of strikes high and wide, while Markwell found Vonderhaar in the middle, but the strike sailed above the crossbar.
With 12 minutes left in the second half, Koss once again saw the ball bounce to him in the box. However, he wasn’t able to lift his leg high enough to control the pass and sent the ball out of bounds, showcasing a little frustration after doing so.
In the 35th minute, Talawanda added some insurance to their cause. Freshman midfielder Ian Puzo received the ball on the right side around the 35-yard line and made a spin move to evade the defender. In the open space he then occupied, he found a streaking Hicks down the left side, who caressed the ball past the goalkeeper and watched it roll in for a goal.
The Wildcats were unable to stage a comeback, as the visiting defense was staunch once again, and the Brave came away with a 3-0 victory.
“This is obviously a tough matchup,” Alberran said. “These are rivals of ours. We were 1-1 last year (against them), so this (was) a really important game. It’s our first conference game, so we’ve done a lot of preparation. In practice, we’ve been really focused on beating this team, so it felt really good to see us get the win.”
While the offense may have been the story early on for Talawanda, it was the defense that held strong. The Brave back line has still only allowed one goal this season, and it was in the first match of the season against Taylor High School.
Since then, no one has been able to find the twine against junior goalkeeper Evan Ruehl and sophomore goalkeeper Sam Hogan, the latter of whom was in net and made four saves in the 3-0 win.
“The defense was kind of on lockdown again,” Jones said. “(It was) another good shutout. They did a really great job of keeping the guys out wide, or when they had shots, making them shoot from pretty far out, so they did a good job.”
Talawanda moves to 8-0-0 on the season and is the sole leader in the SWBL standings. They are also now the only team without a loss, and while their schedule may not have been full of high-caliber opponents, defeating the only other undefeated school in the conference is another step in the right direction. Junior midfielder Henry Eckhardt has seen the success early on this season come from a multitude of factors within the locker room.
“Our team chemistry and the intensity we’re bringing, we all want to win,” Eckhardt said.
The Talawanda boys soccer team will play their next match at home against the Ross High School Rams (2-3-1, 0-1-0 in-conference) on Thursday, Sept. 10 at 7:15 p.m. E.T. at Talawanda High School.
