Tied no more (10/05/07)

HARTFORD CITY - Through 160 minutes, neither team could gain an upper hand. But with their season on the line, the Patriots didn't waste any time.

The Jay County and Blackford high school boys soccer teams tied at one during the regular season. Thursday's sectional semifinal rematch, hosted by the Bruins, was also a 1-1 deadlock after 80 minutes.

The, just two minutes into overtime, Isaac Poole finally got the deciding goal.

Poole scored at the 5:00 mark of the first of the two seven-minute halves of overtime, and the Patriot defense stood strong for a 2-1 victory.

JCHS coach Alan Bailey said he wasn't sure his team had it in them, but "then when it came into that overtime they said they weren't walking away with a loss," he said. "They said they were winning, and they did it. They really busted their butts that first overtime. We knew that was what it was going to take."

The win seconds defending sectional champion Jay County to Saturday's title game at 11 a.m. against South Adams (10-5-2). The Starfires, who topped the JCHS 3-1 during the regular season, defeated Union City 9-0 in Thursday's first semifinal contest.

Blackford, which also tied South Adams during the regular season, departed with a 3-11-3 record.

"I told the boys, if that wasn't a sectional game that ended our year, that would have been a heck of a game to coach, watch, participate in," said Blackford coach Jeff Slusser. "That's what you're involved in high school athletics for, because games like that are fun. It's just unfortunate from my standpoint that someone had to lose a game like that."

The Patriots (7-5-5) trailed for nearly 40 minutes Friday before Chase Ainsworth, who scored the team's lone goal during the regular-season game between the two squads, evened things up with 16:46 left in the game. The score remained tied through regulation, allowing Poole to bring on his heroics in the overtime.

As both teams battled for the ball, Poole took control near the center of the field and on Jay County's side of the midfield line. Getting ahead of a pair of Bruin defenders, Poole angled slightly toward the right post before firing away from a few steps inside the 18-yard box. His shot glanced off the crossbar and dropped in to put the Patriots ahead 2-1.

"That shot Isaac Poole took was probably one of the best shots I have ever seen in my seven years of coaching," said Bailey. "That was a drill on the move. That was a beautiful shot.

"I told everybody I talked to (after winter soccer) that Isaac Poole is so improved ... I knew something big was going to happen for him."

But Poole didn't think the winning shot was going in.

"It was crazy," he said after the win, which sends Jay County to Saturday's sectional championship game against South Adams at 11 a.m. "I thought I kicked it over at first. ... My face was blank when I saw it in the goal. I had no clue it was going in. I thought it was over.

"I just kicked it as hard as I could. (It was) amazing ... the best goal of my life."

Overtime is not sudden death in soccer, so the Patriots had to play defense for the remaining 12 minutes to hold on for the victory.

"That's one thing we can do," said Bailey. "We know that we can get Trey back there sweeping and basically drop Poole back into the stopper position. We can play quick in the back if we've got the opportunity to shut someone down.

"They never had a chance. They didn't have a good look hardly at all in that whole overtime."

Dunn said he and his teammates simply found an extra gear with their season hanging in the balance.

"We just picked it up," said the junior. "Half of it was all of us were scared to go to PKs, and half of it was we knew that this was it. If we lose this one, we're done and there's nothing else to do. ... We didn't want it to end here."

Blackford had control for much of the second half after getting the go-ahead goal with 13 minutes left in the first. Gavin West started the play, sending the ball across from the right corner. No one was able to clear the ball and it made it all the way across the box to Alex Coons, who deflected it back to the right corner for a 1-0 advantage.

Jay County evened the game with a wild goal after a Justen Moser corner kick from the right side. Poole sent a header towards the net, but it was deflected and the ball ricocheted around the box for a few seconds. As goalie Brady Rogers went after the ball, he got spun around, leaving an open net for Chase Ainsworth to punch the ball in and tie the game.

Ainsworth's goal came at the 16:46 mark, and neither team could finish the game in regulation leading to Poole's heroics in overtime.

Jay County finished with nine shots on goal - four from Ainsworth and two each by Poole and Moser - and Blackford took seven shots.

"I think the teams were so evenly matched that ... the clock runs out and somebody has to lose the game," said Slusser. "I think it's just a break here or there. We missed some opportunities, they missed some opportunities ... what can you say? It was a battle of evenly-matched teams."[[In-content Ad]]