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STEUBENVILLE – Things can change an instant.
The Big Red boys’ soccer team netted three goals in less than four minutes and did not look back en route to a 5-1 victory against city-rival Catholic Central in the fourth game of the 15th Annual Together We Care event Saturday afternoon on Reno Saccoccia Field inside historic Harding Stadium.
“Once we were able to get moving, we played pretty well,” Big Red (10-3-1) head coach Greg Bowers said. “We were able to score some goals, and we played pretty good soccer once we settled in.”
Big Red led 2-1 with a little less than 22 minutes left to play in the second half before the Red-and-Black collected a trio of goals in one quick spurt to break the game open.
“I thought we played a good first half,” Catholic Central (4-5-4) head coach Steve Kopcha said. “We were in a great position. The score was tied. We just had a bad stretch. There was a bad bounce, and we were not able to recover from there.”
The scored was deadlocked at 1 at halftime, however, Big Red scored a quick goal less than three minutes into the second half to regain the lead at 2-1.
Trailing by a goal, the Crusaders remained in striking distance for nearly 15 minutes before Big Red’s scoring barrage began.
“They are definitely a good team,” Kopcha said. “They have a lot of offensive talent. They possess the ball. They put pressure on you. In the first half, we were able to stick with them. They opened things up in the second half. They are a good team. They were able to find our mistakes, and they were able to take advantage of their opportunities.”
Landon Bowers delivered two goals and an assist to lead the way offensively for Big Red, while Chase Beall tallied a goal and two assists. Also, Teddy Gorman netted a goal and an assist, Joel Elliott contributed a goal and Tommy Lucas recorded an assist.
JJ Lamantia made four saves in goal for the hosts.
Ben Walsh scored the lone goal of the game for the Blue-and-Gold on a penalty kick.
Joseph Vranish made nine saves in goal for the visitors.
Big Red had an offensive flurry early in the first half, however, Vranish and the Catholic Central defense somehow managed to keep the boys in red off the scoreboard.
“That was the story of this week,” Coach Bowers said. “We were able to create chances, but we were not able to finish early. That is going to happen.
“You never like to give up a goal in the last two minutes of a half, but that is what happened. I am pleased we were able to come back and get the win. We were able to create some dangerous opportunities, and we were able to take advantage of them.”
Landon Bowers ended up scoring the first goal giving Big Red a 1-0 lead with 15:07 left to play in the first half. Lucas assisted on the goal.
The score remained the same for more than 13 minutes, however, Big Red was called for a foul in the penalty box, and the boys in white were awarded a penalty kick. Walsh took the kick, and he fired a shot high into the net knotting the score at 1 with 1:56 remaining in the half.
“They played hard,” Coach Bowers said about the Crusaders. “Their stopper and sweeper did a good job. They played a little more direct than they have been. They played well. They were within striking distance until we were able to take advantage of a few mistakes.”
Gorman got Big Red going in the second half as he found the back of the net with 37:40 left to play giving Big Red the lead at 2-1. It was a lead Big Red did not relinquish. Landon Bowers assisted on the goal.
The score remained the same until Big Red broke through for three goals around the halfway point of the second half.
First, Landon Bowers produced his second goal to give the home team a 3-1 lead with 21:52 left to play. Beall assisted on the goal. Then, Beall chipped in with a goal off an assist by Gorman to extend Big Red’s advantage out to 4-1 with 19:13 remaining in the game. Finally, Elliott found the back of the net to increase Big Red’s advantage to 5-1 with 18:04 still showing on the scoreboard clock.
Catholic Central had some chances to score during the game, but Walsh’s penalty kick resulted in the team’s lone goal of the afternoon.
“That is something we have struggled with all year,” Kopcha said. “We have limited chances, and that makes it difficult. We are going to keep working. We are going to try to create opportunities up top, and we are going to try and finish them.”
The trophies for the offensive and defensive MVPS for both teams were handed out after the conclusion of the game. Landon Bowers was named Big Red’s Offensive MVP, while Luca Holt was named the team’s Defensive MVP. For Catholic Central, Walsh was named the team’s Offensive MVP, while Vranish was named his team’s Defensive MVP.
Big Red is scheduled to play Marietta at 6 p.m. Tuesday night on the road.
Catholic Central is slated to play Jefferson County rival Indian Creek at 5 p.m. Wednesday at home at the Tony Recinella Soccer Field.