Late goal ends Jay's season

YORKTOWN — Fifteen days ago, the Patriots and Tigers played to a scoreless tie.
In the postseason, that just wasn’t a possibility.
But it appeared as if they were going to go to penalty kicks, the same way the game was decided in the sectional championship one year ago.
Then the Patriots were whistled for a hand ball near the top of the 18-yard box, and Yorktown senior Brevin Smith’s free kick deflected into the goal with 38 seconds remaining Wednesday. The late goal handed the Jay County High School boys soccer team a 2-1 season-ending loss in the Class 2A Sectional 15 semifinal at Yorktown Sports Park.
“It was a hand ball,” said JCHS coach Brad Horn, agreeing with the call of the referee. “Don’t get me wrong, that was the best crew we’ve seen all season.
“Two calls that just didn’t go our way went their way.”
It was the second time in as many years Yorktown knocked Jay County out of the postseason. The Tigers advance to the sectional final at 7 p.m. Saturday against either Delta, which defeated Muncie Central 2-1 in the later Wednesday night.
Smith’s eventual game-winning goal came in the 80th minute as the Tigers (3-10-2) and Patriots (4-10-2) looked as if they were going to go to extra time. Smith’s free kick was outside the penalty area but to the right of the semicircle. The shot deflected off JCHS senior Nathan Hamilton to the left side of the net past goalkeeper Zach Chaney.
“We look up to him when we need big plays and he definitely came through tonight,” Yorktown coach Matt Kubiak said.
It was the second goal of the game for Smith, who broke 65 minutes of scoreless soccer on another free kick from almost the same spot as his game winner. Chaney dived to his left toward the post, but the shot ricocheted off a Patriot defender and past the goalie’s outstretched right arm.
A mere 63 seconds later, Jay County tied the score at one goal apiece as sophomore Daniel Fugiett beat Yorktown goalkeeper Chris Reff. JCHS senior Jason Schlosser took a free kick from about 25 yards out and chipped it over Yorktown’s wall of defenders into the box, where Reff couldn’t handle the ball. It bounced toward Fugiett at the right side of the net and he tapped it in for the equalizer.
“What really got me is I was just about to pull Chaney to move him up,” Horn said. “The fact that Jason … that’s just being a senior. Jason knew exactly, chip that line, have a touch across after the keeper dropped it and Fugiett followed it in.”

It was a physical match throughout, but the official was not the least bit shy of using his whistle to keep things under control. During the first 20 minutes, Jay County was pushed back on its heels on defense, but the Tigers weren’t able to get any clean shots at Chaney.
Slowly but surely, the Patriots chances increased, but they too could not beat Reff to break the shutout.
“It was unbelievable,” Horn said of the closeness of the match, despite feeling the Tigers were a more skilled team. “You watch their possession compared to ours, they were a so much better team than us possession, talent wise.
“The fact that we played harder. That whole game we played harder. We wanted it, it just came down to a few calls and a few mistakes.”
The Patriots played a little too timid with the ball offensively, choosing to dump and chase to get close rather than taking shots from long distance. It’s a strategy Horn said he has been trying to fix all season.
“What I told them all year long … we think we need to get within 6 yards to score the ball. No one takes those 18-yard shots.”