NTL BOYS SOCCER: ATHENS DROPS 2-0 DECISION TO STATE-RANKED MAINE-ENDWELL (12 PHOTOS) (2025-09-29)

Valley Sports Report
ENDWELL — Athens battled for 80 minutes, but dropped a 2-0 decision to state-ranked Maine-Endwell here Monday night in non-league boys soccer action.

The Spartans are ranked fourth in the state in Class A (equivalent to Class 3A in PIAA). The Wildcats' only other loss was a 2-1 setback against Elmira, which is ranked 10th in Class 3A (5A in PIAA).

First-year Athens coach Travis Reynard said the loss will pay dividends.

"We learned a lot from this game," he said. "(M-E) is a very strong team. They are well-coached and have high soccer IQ all over the field. 

"We held them from scoring the entire second half, which I was glad to see and just shows that the boys never quit and never gave up," noted Reynard. "They gave 110 percent effort for the full 80 minutes, which I am proud of with some even playing through injuries, but the fight was there. 

"These types of games only make us better," added Reynard.

Maine-Endwell scored its goals in a 15-minute span, and led 2-0 with 11 minutes remaining in the first half.

M-E had a 7-4 edge in shots-on-goal, while Athens had a 6-3 advantage in corner kicks.

"Offensively, we didn’t have many chances and couldn’t string combinations together," said Reynard. "We are still struggling to score against top teams and that starts with me as the coach and the systems I have in place.

"We need to find ways as a collective unit to be more creative and get more shots off," added Reynard. "It simply has to be better all around."

Junior Zach Fisher had five saves in net for the Wildcats.

"Defensively, we were strong," said Reynard. "We had some early errors that cost us, but the second half looked like a whole different defense. 

"We actually played as a team and didn’t allow many open chances for Maine-Endwell to capitalize. 

"Zach Fisher came up big at times, with some key saves as he shows just how good of a keeper he is and continues his great season in net for us," added Reynard.

Athens, now 8-2-2, returns to action Wednesday when it hosts Towanda. The game is the community "Pink Out" game to fight cancer.

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