By Cort Reynolds
ADA __ In the nightcap of a War Memorial Stadium of a girls/boys varsity doubleheader, the Ada High School boys soccer team dominated North Central Ohio Soccer Association foe Upper Sandusky 4-0 on Wednesday, September 25.
Ada improved to 9-4 overall with the convincing win. The Bulldogs are now 1-3 in NCOSA play after blanking the Rams to earn their first league win.
Upper Sandusky fell to 5-6 overall and 2-2 in NCOSA action with the defeat.
“We played a great game,” said Ada first-year head coach Aaron Acheson. “We played with great energy and effort. That was a dominant performance.
“I am proud of how the boys played,” he continued. “We had several players play with elite effort. Jacob Henson and Wyatt Fisher were elite and everywhere. They were fast, decisive and controlled their one-on-one’s with the wings.
“Ty Mowery and Jude Griffin covered each other and kept the ball in front of them. They played smart and tough,” he added.
Sophomore Andrew Allen netted the first Ada goal at the 22-minute mark off an assist by senior Logan Jolliff.
Neither team scored the rest of the first half.
Jolliff then found the back of the net unassisted with 35 minutes left to give Ada a 2-0 lead.
Allen netted his second goal three minutes later, again from a Jolliff pass, to stretch the lead to 3-0.
Jolliff tallied the last goal with 11 minutes left on an assist from Bulldog senior Nathan Williams.
Ada goalkeeper Jacob Rush made a nice save on a Ram corner kick late in the game to preserve the clean sheet.
“Logan Jolliff, Andrew Allen and Nathan Williams were very unselfish and made the extra pass for some really great finishes at the net,” said Acheson. “I love seeing those guys play off of each other. They are developing great chemistry on the attack.”
He also praised the team’s midfield play.
“I was really happy with our midfield play,” said Acheson. “We had strong contributions from Max Puerto, Evan Miller, Carson Conley and Joshua Thaxton.
“Overall, it was a great team victory,” he summed up. “The boys are having fun and are playing for each other.”
Jolliff scored two goals and added two assists. Allen tallied twice and Williams dished out one assist.
Ada sophomore keeper Rush made six saves in goal to earn the shutout. “He had another strong performance,” said Acheson.
The Bulldogs directed seven shots on goal, while US put five shots on target plus the late corner.
The Bulldogs visit Hardin County rival Kenton (4-4-3) Saturday, Sept. 28 at 7:30 p.m. on Wildcat Senior Night. The Wildcats tied WBL foe Wapakoneta 1-1 Tuesday.
“It should be a good game,” said Acheson.
