Defense carries South Range to another district final

October 22, 2014 at 12:10a.m.

NORTH LIMA

When South Range senior Cole Durina and the rest of the Raiders district champion soccer team heard coach Joe Staffeld stop preseason practices, they knew what was coming.

“We run a lot,” Durina said, “so we’ve got a lot of endurance.

“I get sick of it, but I know it’s going to help us and I know it’s going to help us go farther, so I enjoy it. Everyone else moans and groans, though.”

The suffering at the hands of Staffeld’s conditioning drills proved him right. “Farther” they will go.

Thanks to a defense that relentlessly denied visiting Lake Center Christian and timely goals from Durina and freshman forward Brandon Youngs, the Raiders (14-2) advanced to their second straight Division III district title game with a 2-0 win over the Tigers on Tuesday night.

“[Lake Center] were big and strong,” Staffeld said. “But we were able to sneak a couple by them. They were fast and disciplined.”

Youngs, as precocious a freshman soccer player as one will find, broke a scoreless tie with 14:54 remaining in the first half. He poked an errant touch away from the Lake Center defense 35 yards from goal to set up a breakaway. Two touches later, he snuck a shot under Tigers goalkeeper Luke Shafer’s outstretched right arm.

“Once we got that one goal, we started playing our game more, passing more and played South Range soccer,” Durina said.

But the momentum was short-lived.

The Tigers, who fell to South Range in last season’s district tournament, mounted a desperate attack at the second half’s outset.

Forwards Josh Sample, Dennis Scott and Joey Zavarell repeatedly charged the Raiders’ defense as it appeared South Range’s veteran defense might finally break.

Raiders defenders Will Stephenson, Dominic Garrucio, Jonah Wilson and Andrew Cular would have none of it, keeping the Tigers (12-2-2) away from goalie Brant Rothbauer and off the scoreboard.

Stephenson stopped a Sample run at the 33-minute mark before Cullar’s full extension slide tackle inside the Raiders’ 18-yard box prevented Zavarell from ripping a shot at goal.

Rothbauer made his only second-half save on Michael Swartzentruber’s blast from 18 yards away with 21:20 left.

Durina, held back by Staffeld to control the defensive midfield in the second half, broke forward when he stole a wayward pass down the right sideline. An uncontested, soft right-footed hook from 20 yards away sailed over Shafer, who had crept off his line, and inside the far post for an insurmountable 2-0 lead.

“I saw him coming off his line and it was supposed to be a harder shot,” said Durina,” but, hey, it went in anyway. Who cares?

“I figured why not take a rip? He’s a freshman ‘keeper.’ ”

Tigers coach Derek Taylor saw his team struggle with the Raiders’ team speed, especially a defense which slowed a trio that scored 11 goals apiece in the regular season.

“I think sometimes when you feel the pressure you try to make every shot perfect and every pass perfect,” said Taylor, “and it just doesn’t work that way.

“We couldn’t finish. Their defense and their goalkeeper made some unbelievable saves. Our first touches weren’t always clean and they swarmed the ball. Very few teams match up with our speed up top, but they did tonight.”

The Raiders are now vying for a second consecutive district title as Ursuline will pay a visit Saturday to the Raiders’ football stadium, used for the first time as a soccer field Tuesday.