Freshman's foot lifts Jay past Tigers

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For seven Patriots, it was the final home game of their careers.

One of the youngsters gave them a memory to cherish.

Cristian Marentes, a freshman, had a free kick from about 25-yards away plunk off the crossbar and past the goal line with 15 seconds remaining Saturday, lifting the Jay County High School boys soccer team to a 1-0 victory over the sectional rival Yorktown Tigers.

“It’s always a good feeling to beat Yorktown,” said JCHS coach Brad Horn, whose team moves to 5-6 on the year and was knocked out of the sectional tournament a season ago by the Tigers, who scored with 12 seconds remaining in a 1-0 win. “Soccer wise they’ve always been above us, especially the last few years.

“They got us in sectional last year. This is just a regular-season game. It just makes us look forward to the sectional.”

The first 75 minutes of the game were a back-and-fort affiar with both teams getting plenty of chances. But as the clock ticked away to an apparent scoreless draw, the Patriots kept getting opportunities against Yorktown (5-8) and its goalkeeper, Hudson Bouw.

In the 76th minute, Derrian Riojas chipped a bouncing ball over Bouw, who left his goalie box to make a play near the 18-yard box. Riojas’ chip didn’t result in a secondary opportunity and the Tigers kicked the ball past the end line.

Jay County wasn’t able to garner a shot on frame on Marentes’ ensuing corner kick a minute later, and moments after that Marentes had a free kick just outside the top left of the penalty area following a hand ball.

He chipped it over Yorktown’s two-man wall. Ian McCombs crashed to get a shot, but Bouw turned it away.

Brinnin Wasson and McCombs both had chances at Bouw as time wound down. McCombs’ attempt was wide, and Bouw stopped Wasson’s.

Gio Perod also took a shot that Bouw saved, but Perod got taken down on the attempt and the Patriots were awarded a free kick.

Marentes lofted a left-footed strike above Yorktown’s three-man wall and just out of Bouw’s leaping reach. The ball deflected off the crossbar and landed three feet beyond the goal line for the game winner, sending Marentes trotting back toward the center of the field to be mobbed by his teammates.

“Incredible,” Horns said. “You could feel it. You could literally feel it, the last 10 minutes, opportunity after opportunity after opportunity that we were having.

“You could just feel something was going to happen. Cristian made it happen.”

Jay County and Yorktown used the entire field on the afternoon, running up and down, back and forth as both squads were about even in opportunities.

The Patriots, who started without senior Daniel Fugiett, junior John Gierhart and freshman goalkeeper Ian Ruiz because of injuries and then lost sophomore Hunter Schumaker for the second half Saturday, played one of their most complete games of the season. Because of those absences, reserves like Wasson were able to get considerable playing time and they made the most of it.

Wasson, whose time in the first half was limited because of a couple mistakes, started the final 40 minutes in place of Schumaker and seemed to find himself in the right position at the right times. As the left wing, he helped give McCombs, Riojas and Perod those chances late in the game.

“The first half he looked lost, didn’t really have the confidence,” Horn said. “Then he just gathered it and did a lot better.”

Wasson’s performance, as well as the others — Cameron Henry stopped all six shots on goal he faced backing up Ruiz — gives Horn hope for when his primary players return from injuries.

“More than anything that should give the whole team confidence,” he said. “When we get those players coming back we should be completely fine any time we have to sub.”