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Fun in the rain
Howland enjoys win over rival Niles
By BRANDON Judeh
NILES
It was a dreary evening at Bo Rein Stadium, but a shutout victory over their All-American Conference rivals put a smile on the faces of the Howland boys soccer.
Alex Cornicelli started and finished the game off for Howland (2-1) with two goals in the Tigers’ 3-0 victory.
The junior’s first goal set the tone early when he scored in the sixth minute of the first half. His second goal clinched the victory for the Tigers in the 17th minute of the second half.
“This was a big win for us,” said Cornicelli. “[The Red Dragons]are one of our rivals and it is huge to come in here and beat them, especially because it is a conference game.
“Plus my cousin, Shawn Crowley, plays for them, it was just a fun game for me.”
Cornicelli’s play was not the only bright spot for Howland. Also scoring for the Tigers was senior Connor Gilmour in the 32nd minute of the first half, and goalkeeper Kurt Kuszmaul made several key saves as Niles was threatening to steal the momentum early on.
Howland coach George Stevens said the win could set the tone for the rest of the season and give his team more confidence.
“This was a great win for us, especially because it is in the All American Conference, which is our division, it’s always a big win when you beat someone in your division,” he said.
Howland controlled the tempo for most of the game with fast-paced ball movement, accurate passing and intense defense, which led to several shots on goal.
Niles’ goalie, Noah Arvin, kept the game close by coming up with some spectacular diving saves, but the Red Dragons couldn’t convert those stops into offensive chances.
Niles (2-1-2) had many opportunities to break through the Howland defense, especially in the second half, but they could never get through for a goal. C.J. Cicero led the way for Niles as he weaved through Howland’s defense defenders, but was unable to score because of some great saves by Kuszmaul.
Stevens believes this win can lead to bigger and better things for the Tigers.
“Obviously a win is better than a loss or a tie so we just need to keep building on this win because this is only our third game of the year,” he said, “and I think that we are going to do OK the rest of the season if we keep the kind of intensity we had in tonight’s game.”
The Tigers play host to Boardman on Saturday in a non-conference game. Cornicelli said it will be another big game.
“Boardman … will be a great challenge for us and a big game,” he said.