NTL BOYS SOCCER: ATHENS, WELLSBORO BATTLE TO 0-0 DOUBLE-OT DEADLOCK (12 PHOTOS) (2025-09-27)

Valley Sports Report
ATHENS — Athens and Wellsboro battled through 100 minutes to a 0-0 double-overtime tie here Saturday afternoon in NTL boys soccer action.

"This was definitely the best game the NTL has seen this season," said Athens first-year coach Travis Reynard. "Two of the strongest teams battling back-and-forth for 100 minutes of hard-fought soccer. 

"For us, there were occasional sparks and good moments, but Wellsboro often dominated us in possession and controlled us, forcing us to play a defensive game," he noted.

"Defensively, it’s another shut out and strong defensive performance, especially when we were playing defensive most of the game," said Reynard. "Zach Fisher made some key saves for us in net and had another great performance and clean sheet. 

"Offensively, we just couldn’t connect like we wanted and how we trained at practice this past week leading up to today. 

"Wellsboro was constantly applying pressure, which made us uncomfortable on the ball and often led to us forcing it forward and not finding simple passes to feet," added Reynard. "It definitely has to be better and we need to find ways to score against strong teams."

Wellsboro had a 3-1 edge in shots-on-goal. Both teams had five corner kicks.


With the tie, Athens retains a 1/2-game lead on Wellsboro atop the NTL standings. Athens (8-1-2 overall) is 7-0-2 in league play, while Wellsboro (9-3-1) is 7-1-1.

"As far as the NTL is concerned, the message is clear to the team, the job is not done yet and we need to finish the season strong and keep improving every day," said Reynard.

Athens returns to action Monday at state-ranked Maine-Endwell.

"We face a strong Maine-Endwell team Monday," said Reynard. "They are dominant all over the field and the best of the best in New York. 

"It’ll be a tough challenge for the boys, but great for them to see high IQ soccer and give them a preview of what they are going to run into at districts," added Reynard. "We just want them to go out and play and look to improve as a team."

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PHOTOS BY LEIGHANNE INGRAM.




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