43
Shutout kings
Canfield boys set school mark in a victory
By Greg Gulas
SALEM
The Salem Quakers will enter next week as the No. 1 seed in the Division II boys soccer tournament.
They found out first hand why the Canfield Cardinals are the top seed in Div. I.
Patrick Stickle’s penalty kick at 5:39 of the opening half was the only goal either All-American Conference team could generate as the Cardinals defeated the Quakers, 1-0, Tuesday at Reilly Stadium.
“All year long Patrick has found a way to put the ball in the back of the net for us,” said Canfield coach Phil Simone. “Tonight, he put himself in position for that decisive penalty kick.
“We had a lot of scoring opportunities but I felt like we weren’t as patient as we could have been. In the second half, however, we were able to possess the ball better and that really helped,” Simone said.
The Cardinals won for the 13th time in 14 outings, notching their school record 10th shutout of the season.
That eclipsed the old mark of nine which was set by the 2005 squad.
Mike Thomas (13-1) has been the goaltender of record in all of the Cardinals’ games this season and just keeps adding to his individual season shutout mark.
He’s only allowed six scores all season long.
“You really have to credit our defense tonight,” said Thomas. “Offensively, we got the job done but it was our defense that held Salem in check throughout the game.
“They have a nice ball club and should do well in the tournament. They’re a real threat every time they have the ball. I’m just glad that we were able to get out of here with a win,” Thomas said.
Simone called Thomas a very special goalie.
“He has been a starter since his freshman year and is still only a junior. I’m just glad that he is coming back next year,” said Simone.
“He has the experience and all of the tools necessary to be one of the very best goalies ever. All season long he has been stellar in goal and tonight we needed that exceptional effort,” Simone added.
Stickle’s 14th goal of the season was his first off a penalty kick opportunity, that coming after a Salem player was called for tripping in the box.
Stickle proceeded to deposit the ball in the left corner of the net and just beyond the outstretched arm of Salem goalie Kenny Saltsman.
“We’ve played a little sloppy of late so if we expect to do well at tournament time, then we had better get back to how were playing earlier in the season,” said Stickle.
“You need a goal in order to win so to be the one that scored the goal and also be a part of the team that set the record for most shutouts in a season, that is very special,” Stickle said.
Salem (10-5-1), which had its three-game win streak snapped, was outshot 14-9.
“We played really hard tonight and that makes me proud of our overall effort,” said Salem coach Matt Freeman. “We’ve come a long way since the beginning of the season and continue to work hard.
“Canfield is an excellent team and we also had our chances as well. We have good team chemistry and I cannot say enough about Kenny in goal for us. He’s been a great team leader and has kept us in every game this year,” added Freeman.