By Cort Reynolds
MT. BLANCHARD – The visiting Ada boys soccer team lost a high-quality 3-2 nailbiter on grass at North Central Ohio Soccer Association foe Riverdale on Thursday evening, September 12.
The Bulldogs battled back to tie it up twice from one-goal deficits, but could never grab the lead in the intense contest.
Ada dropped to 5-3 overall and 0-2 in tough NCOSA action with the close defeat.
Riverdale evened its marks at 4-4 overall and 1-1 in NCOSA play after the hard-fought win.
“It was a high-quality soccer game,” said Ada first-year head coach Aaron Acheson. “It was fun and exciting. I think it was the best game Riverdale has played so far, they gave us their best shot.
“The guys completely emptied their tanks,” he continued. “We showed a desire and rage to win, and left it all on the field.”
Falcon Cameron Snook scored 56 seconds into the fray on an assist from Will Clark.
“They scored on a through ball that split our center-backs, and Snook was there to score,” said Acheson. “We settled down and got the equalizer. Nathan got a great set-up to Andrew.”
Ada sophomore Andrew Allen knotted the score 1-1 with a goal midway through the first half from senior passing ace Nathan Williams.
Riverdale answered right back, however. Clark bounced a long shot into the bottom left corner of the net at the 18:57 mark to put the Falcons back on top, 2-1.
“We didn’t take away time and space on that or pressure the ball, he drilled it into the low left corner,” said Acheson.
Ada came back to tie it 12 minutes later.
Bulldog senior Williams directed a free kick that Allen tapped in to tie it 2-2 with seven minutes left in the first half.
“That was another great assist by Williams,” said Acheson. “Andrew is showing a great desire to score, and great technical ability to score. He is very accurate.”
The game stayed tied 2-2 to intermission.
Clark then scored the only goal of the second half to provide the eventual game-winning difference. He skipped in a shot from 30 yards out with 22:56 remaining to play.
“He drilled another rope there to win it,” said Acheson. “They made the game-changing play there.”
Clark scored two goals and assisted on the other Falcon score to pace the Falcons.
Allen’s two goals give him a team-high 11 on the season. Logan Jolliff has netted seven with two assists, while Williams has tallied five goals.
Williams has doled out a club-leading 12 assists so far this season.
“Nathan serves up a nice ball with pace and weight,” said Acheson. “He is fighting hard and playing really well. He is a relentless competitor who never gives up or pouts.
“He has a winning attitude and demeanor, and I am very proud of him,” he added.
Acheson noted that other players played well, too.
“We had elite effort from Wyatt Fisher at right-outside back,” said Acheson. “He marked up well, won all the balls in his area and made good passes.
“Jacob Henson at left-outside was under pressure a lot, but hustled back and never gave up on the ball,” he continued. “He passed out some good vertical balls. Max Puerto gave us a lot of fight, and won a lot of balls to make some plays possible for others.
“Our effort was there, but they just finished a little better around the net,” he added. “Clark made a couple tough shots.”
The Bulldogs directed five shots on goal, while the Falcons put 13 shots on target. Ada keeper Jacob Rush was credited with 10 saves in goal.
“We knew it would be a tough league game at their place,” Acheson offered. “They just made one more play than we did. They started really fast and attacked the first 10 minutes, while we were back on our heels.
“We weathered it pretty well and tied it before the half,” he continued. “It was a very competitive and intense game, and the referees did a good job. It was a high-quality match.”
The Bulldogs visit Old Fort (0-4) on Thursday, September 14 at 1 p.m. Riverdale beat OF 4-0 earlier this week.
“We can learn from the film and get better,” the coach said. “They executed a little better in key situations at the end. But it was a very evenly-played match. We are getting other team’s best shots, which makes for some great, competitive games.”
In a schedule change, the Ada boys host Spencerville (4-2-1, 2-1 NWC) Monday, Sept. 16 at 5 p.m. instead of playing on the road. The Bulldog girls will then host Lima Senior at 7 p.m.
The Bearcats are riding a three-game win streak, and have outscored the opposition 14-0 in that streak.
“We have some more big games coming up,” said Acheson. “We came out of a physical game tonight healthy, which is good.”
