Published: October 09, 2008 11:58 pm            

SOCCER: New Albany tops Floyd to earn spot in finals

NEW ALBANY — One of Thursday night’s matches went into penalty kicks, but for once it wasn’t New Albany and Floyd Central.

The Bulldogs took care of that in regulation, finally upending their county rivals 2-1 and advancing to the final of the New Albany Sectional at Prosser Field.

In the other semifinal, Salem and Silver Creek — in its first postseason appearance — played to a 0-0 standstill after 94 minutes of action. In the end, the Lions bested the Dragons on penalty kicks to set up the final.

New Albany and Salem will meet for the right to advance to the New Albany Regional at 7 p.m. on Saturday.



NEW ALBANY-FLOYD CENTRAL

As more than a few of the jubilant New Albany players said after it was over, it is finally the Bulldogs’ turn.

After having its last three postseasons ended at the hands of the Highlanders — all by one-goal margins — New Albany used a dominant first half to finally turn the tables on Floyd Central.

It took less than 40 seconds for the Bulldogs to break out in front, as senior Stephan Kossis found a seam and beat Floyd goalkeeper Daniel Neeld for the game’s first goal.

“We suspected Floyd Central was a little tired,” said Bulldog coach Dutch Vigar. “They always come out of the gate fast, and we’re typically a little slow in getting started. We knew we couldn’t afford to come out flat and play from behind.”

With matches all four days this week, including a tie with Seymour on Tuesday that clinched a share of the Hoosier Hills Conference title, the fatigue might have been a factor for Floyd, which wasn’t its normal quick-striking self during the opening 40 minutes.

New Albany took advantage by striking near the midway point of the first half, when sophomore Justin Oliver delivered a goal to put Floyd in a 2-0 hole.

“I don’t think either team has beaten the other twice in a season,” said first-year Highlander coach Zach Watson, whose squad outlasted New Albany 1-0 in the regular-season meeting. “I think our guys were a little nervous. It’s tough enough playing New Albany without getting into a hole early.”

The Highlanders regrouped after the intermission, and finally got high-scoring forward Jordan Adams involved in the offense. He took advantage of a penalty kick around the 20-minute mark of the second half to reinvigorate his team with a goal.

“That’s what happens sometimes,” said Vigar. “You get something on offense and then the adrenaline starts going.”

Floyd had its opportunities to tie the score, but New Albany staved off the attack and held strong until going back on the offensive during the final portions of the game. That left Floyd frantically searching for the tying score all the way up to the buzzer. But the right opportunity never came, thus setting up a celebration the Bulldogs had been waiting on for three years.

“I’m proud of the guys,” said Vigar. “We had a small team this year. Many games we only had one or two subs. So our guys are in shape and feeling confident.”

It was the final stand for five Floyd seniors in Paul Crockett, Vlad Bursus, Ben Todd, Antonio Lara and Neeld.

“It’s a pleasure to have known them and coached them,” said Watson. “I wish them the best in their future endeavors.”



SALEM-SILVER CREEK

Though it was the first sectional matchup for the Silver Creek program, the Dragons didn’t seem to show their nerves until the final penalty-kick showdown.

“The guys know how to take penalty kicks because we’ve practiced that,” said Silver Creek coach Israel Benitos. “I think maybe the nerves got to them.”

Silver Creek actually dominated the first seven-minute overtime period after 80 minutes of regulation failed to yield a score. Andrew Hoke, following a free kick from Tyler Schroeder, nearly converted only to watch Salem keeper Kyle England snag the ball at the last moment.

Likewise, the Lions took control of the second overtime early, keeping Silver Creek on the defensive and keeping Dragon keeper Luke Huffmon more than busy. Only Huffmon’s leaping grab of a shot by William Trueblood kept Salem off the scoreboard with 4:14 left in the period.

That sent it into penalty kicks, where Silver Creek’s first three attempts — by Schroeder, Chase Turner and Hunter Hooker — went over the goal or harmlessly to its side. Salem converted all three of its tries, with the clincher coming off the foot of Francisco Bravo.

“This is just the beginning of a big soccer program at Silver Creek,” said Benitos, who bade goodbye to just two seniors in Huffmon and Josh Sampson. “This team represented the school with a lot of pride.”

        

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