Boardman-Fitch lose to Mother Nature

Photo by: Nick Mays

Photo

Fitch’s Kyle Kosco (18) and Boardman’s Matt Horvatich (23) head the ball during a soccer rivalry Thursday in Boardman. The game was called in the first-half due to lightning and will be rescheduled.

Soccer rivalry game short-circuited by lightning in first half

By Brandon Judeh

sports@vindy.com

Boardman

The steady downpour of rain proved to be too much as Boardman’s home soccer match against the Austintown Fitch boys teams was canceled with five minutes remaining in the first half on Friday night.

The Falcons will have to wait for another another day to end their winless streak against the Spartans.

“I believe it has been six consecutive years since they last beat us,” said Boardman coach Ahmet Olgun. “In fact five straight senior classes have gone undefeated against the Falcons and we want to continue this streak.”

Though the game was short, both teams made the most of the time they had in what ended up being a scoreless game.

Both teams tried their best to run up and down the muddy, flooded field, but not without a lot of slipping and sliding.

“This kind of weather makes it tough for the players out there and it can become very dangerous,” said Olgun.

“There was a lot of slipping and falling out there and it is important to keep watch and make sure everyone’s positioning is right and to be careful when sliding.”

Both teams had several opportunities to score, but due to the conditions and great keeper play, neither team was able to convert on any shots.

Boardman junior keeper Anthony Calautti was almost unrecognizable from diving in the mud to make several key saves that kept the game scoreless.

For Fitch, captains Jared Bohr and Mike Shaffer played well and were some of the players to penetrate the Spartan line.

As the rains continued to intensify so did the game.

With less than eight minutes left in the first half the Spartans had a great chance to score. Seniors Nico Graziani and Matt Horvatich ran up the field and set up a wide-open header for Graziani, but his attempt was too strong and went over the top of the net.

Fitch then recovered and made their way into Boardman territory only to have their shot deflected by Calautti. The Spartans then weaved their way up the field and set up a great shot attempt that went wide left to keep the game in a 0-0 tie.

“Our goal was to work hard and control the ball as much as possible in these kind of weather conditions. We gave a way a lot of possessions and didn’t take advantage of the goal opportunities we had,” said Olgun.

Shortly after those frantic possessions, the game went in to a 30-minute lightning delay, but shortly after was called off due to excessive lightning.

As of right now there is no makeup date, however, Boardman assistant coach Eric Simione said they might make the game up at some point during or after the tournament, which begins next week.