Hershey halts Palmyra
Friday, September 05, 2008
BY MICHAEL BULLOCK
For The Patriot-News
Give Round 1 to Hershey.
Ryan Gadd and Sal Amato each pocketed goals, while Andy Foley and Rob Vender uncorked terrific all-around efforts as Jeff Rosensteel's Trojans trimmed defending champ Palmyra 2-0 in a Mid-Penn Keystone Division showdown Thursday at Hersheypark Stadium.
"That's the way we looked at it," Rosensteel said of meeting the Cougars (3-1, 1-1). "I knew they were solid. The guys knew it, too. We're happy to come out with the win."
Stymied early by Palmyra keeper Josh Lineaweaver (4 saves) -- the sultry conditions sapped plenty from both sides -- the Trojans also caught a break midway through the opening half when Cougars striker Brett Jankouskas chipped a ball that glanced tantalizingly off the crossbar.
Still, Hershey (4-0, 2-0) was in front at the half.
Scoring maybe 30 seconds before the horn, Vender's tidy service from the right flank found Evan Morgan amidst a cluster of Cougars near the left edge of the six. Morgan managed to touch the ball back to Gadd, whose 12-yard rip skipped into the left side of the net.
"That's huge," Rosensteel said. "That sort of got us motivated. We were kind of going through the motions there a little bit. That really did give us a lift, a nice lift."
While that lift kept Hershey going for the first 11-plus minutes of the second half, Palmyra responded with its own surge that lasted nearly as long. Brian Mundy unloaded the Cougars' best scoring chance, but Hershey's Mike Walmer (1 save) tipped the ball over the crossbar.
Jankouskas also had an opportunity that whistled wide, one of the few chances the persistent Foley permitted Palmyra's high-scoring junior forward.
Amato's finish with 14:35 to play -- following a long run with a Michael Kozak outlet and a couple of dekes in the penalty area -- polished things off for the Trojans.
"We just have to pick ourselves back up," said first-year Palmyra coach Craig Tyrrell, "and get back on the win wagon. See how it feels and not get used to it."
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The Cougars travel to Susquehanna Township for a 10:00 AM game on Saturday to try and improve on their 3-1 record.
The JV team beat Hershey 2-0 to move their record to 1-0-1 on the season.
GO COUGARS!!
