Wildkats blank Patriots

KOKOMO — The Patriots stayed even with the Wildkats in the first half.
Kokomo took over in the second.
The host Wildkats scored five goals in the final 40 minutes Thursday, handing the Jay County High School boys soccer team a 5-0 loss in the Class 2A regional semifinal.
“The kids played really hard,” said JCHS coach Alan Bailey, whose team ended its season at 9-9-1. “I thought we were equal to them, we just didn’t have the opportunity to push up like I wanted to.
“They’ve got three really good kids that play up front.”
Kokomo (14-6) broke the scoreless tie 4:07 into the second half when Phil Heilman’s shot from just outside the penalty area went under a diving Patriot goalkeeper Trevor Moeller.
Jay County had a couple chances to score five minutes later, but Kokomo’s Caleb Cook turned them both away.
Cook finished with four saves, and Moeller had nine.
Heilman notched his second goal of the game in the 54th minute.
KHS sophomore Keagan James took the ball toward the left side of the goal line and sent a cross into Heilman, who one-timed it into the right side of the goal.
James then followed up his three-goal performance in the sectional championship with a pair of scores against the Patriots, first burying a breakaway strike in the 65th minute.
Three minutes later, he tallied his second goal when his shot from inside the box was deflected away by Moeller, but his secondary attempt went into the left side of the net for Kokomo’s fifth goal.
“He has been very productive for us all season,” said Kokomo coach Idowu Ikudabo, whose team advances to the regional championship against Harrison, which beat Fishers in the second semifinal. “He has a lot of potential and I’m very proud of him.
“Phil (Heilman) is a senior captain. He’s an unbelievable player. Both of them, they share the ball and they connect passes to make things happen for this team.”
Kokomo’s SA Dunn also found the back of the net in the 57th minute, as the Wildkats scored three goals in the span of three minutes.
The first half was more of a chess match, as both teams were trying to figure each other out. Jay County was in its defensive zone for the majority of the time, bending but not quite breaking.
Kokomo had the advantage in shots, 9-2, but Moeller, a sophomore, kept the game scoreless. Fighting a wet, soggy and muddy field — the game was delayed 15 minutes as officials worked to dry spots with standing water — the quickness of Jay County’s offense was subdued. Additionally, concentrating too much on James and Heilman prevented the Patriots from getting their attack going.
“We were so concerned about them that Abbott started back toward the midfield and Jared (Schlosser) was back toward the defense,” Bailey said. “When we did have that chance to counter, we were too deep to do anything with it.
“That was something we talked about at halftime, trying to be more offensive-minded, but that just didn’t happen.”
Meanwhile Ikudabo said the difference in halves for the Wildkats was just loosening up on offense.
“In the second half we actually played more relaxed like we normally play,” he said. “First half we played to the tempo of Jay County. The sloppy, wet ground, they just couldn’t convert from attacking to finish. It was a little bit difficult.”
For Bailey and Jay County, though, Kokomo’s scoring in the second half didn’t hurt the Patriots’ spirits.
“I wouldn’t say we dropped our heads, but we dropped our speed a little bit and it hurt us,” Bailey said, adding he tried to get fresh legs on the field late in the second half but by then it was too late. “I’m really proud of these kids. At the beginning of the year, I would have never dreamed we would be at this stage.
“It’s tremendous for what they’ve done (and) how they’ve come back. I’m really proud of my seniors and the way they stepped up. This is the best group of seniors I’ve had in a while.”