Two mistakes, two goals — and ultimately, loss No. 3 for the Emporia High boys soccer team.
A pair of first-half scores by Andrew Learned were enough for Manhattan, and a Jose Rios goal was all the Spartans could muster in a revitalized second half, giving the Indians a 2-1 win at TRYSA on Thursday. The loss was Emporia’s first at home this year, dropping them to 7-3.
The Spartans didn’t get much of an offensive attack going in the first half, managing just one shot on goal and failing to get much penetration against the Indians’ defense.
Manhattan’s first goal — and the Spartans’ first mistake — came in the game’s 20th minute. After Learned took a pass up the middle, EHS goalkeeper Cory Obermeyer charged on the ball and slid, and Learned knocked it past him. Nothing lay between Learned and the goal as it rolled toward the left post, and he ran it down and kicked it in.
Cornejo said a lack of communication between the goalie and a defender back on the play caused the goal.
“They didn’t talk,” Cornejo said, “and our defender moved in from forward, changed direction, and they both got tangled, and their forward (was) right in front of the goal.”
Learned added another score four and a half minutes later. A pushing foul on Gary Rivera set the Indians up with a free kick on the left side. Thomas Fullagar lofted the kick toward the far post and Learned headed it in.
“Second (goal), don’t want to blame Cory, but that was Cory’s ball,” Cornejo said. “We don’t have the height that they have. We play teams that are like 6-1, 6-2 kids ... All those corner kicks, balls in the air, should be Cory’s.”
Manhattan’s height on defense caused Emporia problems. Defenders Ben Bolton and Adam McCann were two of the Spartans’, um, biggest obstacles to scoring.
“I was calling those tall guys towers — ‘gotta get past those two towers on their defense,’” Cornejo said. “‘Let’s put it on the ground, and that’s the only way we can score.’ They did that a little bit more in the second half.”
Rios’ goal, coming in the 52nd minute, came off a pass to the right side from Luis Guzman, who had just blocked a Manhattan clear attempt. Rios found some space and fired a line drive over the goalkeeper into the opposite corner of the net.
The biggest missed opportunity for EHS came with about 26:20 left, when Jared Schaefer found himself in the middle of the box right in front of the goal. His low-liner shot was stopped by Indians goalkeeper Jared Rogers, who was on the ground.
EHS had a final frantic attempt to score as time wound down, with Ryan Dorsey dribbling against Kellen Reever toward the left post. But Reever knocked the ball out of bounds as time expired.
“I think second half, they played good, all of them,” Cornejo said. “They gave all they had, and well, I’m proud of them the second half. But not the first half. None of them showed up to play in the first half, none of them — and they knew it. I don’t know what happened in the first half. Well, that’s soccer.”
Emporia had seven shots on goal for the game to Manhattan’s five.
prepsportsfan1 (anonymous) says...
I saw the highlights from this game...I wish I could have been there...check 'em out www.ksprepzone.com the game is in the week 5 category
October 4, 2008 at 2:20 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )