NTL BOYS SOCCER: WELLSBORO HANDS ATHENS FIRST LEAGUE LOSS IN NEARLY FIVE YEARS (20 PHOTOS) (2020-09-22)
By TIM BIRNEYValley Sports ReportWELLSBORO "” Dustin Benedict snuck a direct kick under the crossbar from 40 yards out with 1:33 remaining in the game to lift Wellsboro to a 2-1 win over Athens here Tuesday evening in NTL boys soccer action.
"It was everything you would expect from both sides," said Athens coach Jake Lezak.
"This really is the first test for both teams," he noted. "(Wellsboro) had all the advantage going their way. They brought the same guys back from last year, and for our young guys this was really their first big test to see what they could do."
The loss snaps a 39-game NTL win streak for the Wildcats "” dating back to a 2-2 tie with Wellsboro on Sept. 5, 2017, and a 69-game stretch without a loss in the league. Their last league loss was a 1-0 setback against Sayre on Oct. 17, 2015.
Wellsboro controlled the action for the majority of the first half, but junior Nate Quinn gave he Wildcats a 1-0 lead with 22:25 remaining with a shot from 30 yards out that barely eluded the reach of Wellsboro keeper Ethan Ryan.
"Nate had a great hit," said Lezak. "HIs awareness on the field is really high. When he picks his head up, and sees where the goal keeper is at ... he's going to pull the trigger and catch him cheating."
The Athens defense fended off the Green Hornets until Kaeden Mann drew a foul in the box, and Will Poirier converted the penalty kick with 10:10 left in the first half to tie the game at 1-1.
"To be honest, 1-1 at the half was fair," said Lezak.
"We did what we wanted to defensively," he added. "We kept them out on the flanks."
The second half was fairly even in terms of time of possession, and the game seemed headed to overtime until Benedict scored from long range.
Wellsboro had a 10-6 advantage in shots-on-goal, and a 9-3 edge in conner kicks.
Wellsboro improves to 3-0 on the season and sits atop the NTL standings, while Athens falls to 2-1.
"They still have to come to us. We made some young mistakes tonight, mistakes we won't be making at the end of the season," said Lezak. "As long as we take care of business, we still have our chance in the last game of the season.
"The guys learned a lot tonight," he noted. "We had a lot of young guys out on the field, and moved them into some difficult positions.
"Guys came off the field, and did what I needed them to do," added Lezak. "They did what I asked them to do, and what else can you ask for?"
Athens returns to action Thursday at Williamson.
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IN PHOTO 1: Athens junior Nate Quinn. ... PHOTOS BY TIM BIRNEY.
