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Alexander Spartans
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SPARTANS SEASON ENDS IN DOUBLE OT
By Lou Horvath
Even without using the credited Bates Tabulation System, there was a substantial crowd in Minford for the district semi-final match between the host Falcons and the Alexander Spartans. Each team’s fans were there in numbers and were treated to a spirited match that had ebbs and flows that kept them all on the edge of their seats.
Ultimately, it was an early jump on the gifting season that provided the difference and sent the Spartans home wondering what could have been.
Minford had sixteen wins in their quiver and was probably the odds on favorite having handled Alexander early in the year. But the Spartans were a battling bunch and were anything but an underdog in this fight.
The contrasting styles of play were evident in the first thirteen minutes of the match. The Spartans were plying the intermediate passing game and working the ball up the field. The Falcons concentrated on blasting passes up the wings, attempting to speed their way into clear space then hitting their big men coming into the box.
The Spartan strategy seemed to be the better of the two in the early stage. Brennen Jordan and Casey Doudna each were able to get off two good attempts at the Minford strings. Also, the visitors forced the Falcon defense to give up six corner kicks in the first half.
With fifteen minutes gone, the first of the gifts was presented. Alexander goaltender Ben Doughty and Minford’s Conrad Cwik crashed into each other in the box. Alexander coach saw it as a dive into his goalie while Minford mentor Theresa Havens believed Doughty crunched her forward. The only opinion that counted, however, was that of the center official who awarded the Falcons the penalty kick. Doughty had stopped five PK’s this season but Henry Allen tucked the freebie under the rangy junior and gave his team the 1-0 lead.
“That penalty decision was critical given how the game was going,” Fauber said. “The play was close and I thought we had created a bit of an advantage so that really put us in a bind. We had some good early looks and if we had been able to finish them, that call would have been less of an impact.”
The Spartans, though stunned, did not wilt and picked up the intensity. For the remainder of the half, the action would swing each way with neither team able to crack the scoring column.
It was the Falcons who came out on fire as the second stanza started. In the first twelve minutes, Doughty had to stop two blasts in the box from nearly point-blank range. The first was from Cwik and the next from Jonas Smith. In between those rips, Jack Blackburn clanged a ball off the top of the Alexander framework.
But the Spartans slowed the rush and took over the momentum, getting their offense in order. Caleb Wilson nearly leveled the score off a corner kick from Josiah Yazdani but keeper Jordan Duncan scrambled to smother the attempt. Brian Sparks had three chances from close range that climbed over the strings.
The quickening pace and intensity brought out a spate of yellow cards. Minford collected four and Alexander one with the Falcons losing Henry Allen with two himself. In the midst of the ratcheting intensity, the Spartans found a groove. With a little under seventeen minutes in regulation, Doudna pelted a shot that ricocheted off a Falcon defender and back outside the box. Doudna collected the ball and slotted it to his right where Yazdani volleyed a power slam into the far corner to knot the score at 1-1.
Three minutes later, Minford’s Cwik broke through the defensive wall and faced Doughty with a booming shot. Doughty did not flinch and cleared the threat away from the twine. With neither team adding another tally, the match was sent into overtime.
The first overtime was pretty much an Alexander show with Doudna nearly ending the drama with a rip early on. Although both sides exchanged some thrusts, the first extended period ended with no golden goal though the Spartans earned the bulk of possession.
Momentum changed with the second overtime and it was almost over before it began. Taylor Huff got ahead of the defense on the left side and his boomer from the corner of the box barely missed the far post just thirty seconds in.
Then the hosts received the second of the gifts. A long Minford send-in was slowly rolling near the touch line. Two Spartan defenders and a Falcon were rushing for control and it forced a quick clear. Unfortunately for Alexander the clearance caromed off someone and back into the middle where Jake Hackworth was standing. The Minford senior tagged the ball into the net, ending the second overtime and Alexander’s season.
“This was a great game to watch and I’m sure the crowd really got their money’s worth. Our guys played hard, played together, and left it all out on the pitch,” Fauber. “Overall, I believe we had the better of the play tonight but when you don’t finish the opportunities, you open the door for flukes like the winning goal. We’ve improved over the season and have taken the two top teams in our bracket down to the wire.”
The Spartans’ finish the year with a record of 7-9-2 and faced teams with winning records in every game the last half of the season.
SCORING:
Alexander 0 1 0 0 1
Minford 1 0 0 1 1
Minford Allen (PK) 1st 24:29 1-0
Alexander Yazdani (Doudna) 2nd 16:48 1-1
Minford Hackworth 2nd OT 10:10 2-1
Shots on Goal: Alexander 13
Minford 12
Saves: Alexander Doughty 7
Minford Jordan 9
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Alexander Spartans
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