Valley Sports ReportGALETON — Galeton raced out to a 3-0 lead in the first half en route to a 4-2 win over Athens here Thursday night in NTL boys soccer action.
"We just played two completely different halves of soccer," said Athens coach Travis Reynard. "All credit to Galeton in the first half, they were ready to play and we simply weren’t.
"We were lazy and couldn’t defend as a team and do the simple things great," he noted. "The second half was much better and they actually looked alive and dominated that half, but couldn’t come out of the deficit.
"Although we are in a tough stretch, we have to keep our heads up and keep preparing for districts," added Reynard. "I know we have a talented team that can play much better than what was displayed tonight."
Max Schlegel scored all three goals in the first 26 1/2 minutes of the game, and the Tigers carried the 3-0 lead into the halftime intermission.
"Not our best night at all defensively," said Reynard.
"The defending in the first half was our weakness all over the field, whether it was closing gaps in the midfield or simply marking on the back line — it was not good enough.
"Zach Fisher made some key stops for us or else the score line could have been very different," he added. "All around, we simply can’t give up and make mistakes in crucial moments."
Sophomore Caden Brennan scored off a throw-in from senior Brycen Wood with 26:41 remaining in the contest to close the game to 3-1, but Galeton tacked on another goal with 12:30 remaining to sew up the win.
Caden Brennan scored again for the Wildcats, off an assist from senior Kamdyn WHeeler with 3:04 left in the contest.
"Our offense was working hard all night," said Reynard. "We had many chances and kept fighting, which was great to see.
"We have to connect more passes and be OK with moving the ball around the pressure and not just sending it forward hoping we will get on the end of it," added Reynard.
Galeton had an 11-10 edge in shots-on-goal, while Athens had a 10-3 advantage in corner kicks.
Athens senior Zach Fisher registered seven saves in net for the Wildcats.
Athens, now 10-5-2 returns to action Saturday evening when it hosts Wyalusing for Senior Day.
