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Practice makes Poland perfect against Mooney
By Steve Wilaj
STRUTHERS
It was four years in the making.
So when Poland’s Anthony Sabula was asked how it felt to lift the championship trophy over his head and celebrate with his teammates following a 3-1 victory over Cardinal Mooney in a Division II district final Saturday, he responded with just one word.
“Surreal,” Sabula said. “We’ve waited four years for it, so it just feels second to none.”
In defeating the top-seeded Cardinals at the James Simon Sr. Soccer Park, the fifth-seeded Bulldogs scored three unanswered goals after Mooney took an early 1-0 advantage. Poland coach Brian Garcar said it was a result of a strong couple days of practice.
“We were so excited for the opportunity just to get here,” he said. “After we did some game planning, we thought we definitely had a chance to play with them even though they really have some great talent all over the field.
“So we buckled down the last couple of days, put in a good game plan and our guys were confident coming in.”
Mooney looked like the more confident team early, as the Cardinals got on the board first when Nick Koken scored in the sixth minute. But from that point, it was all Bulldogs (13-3-4).
“We got out of our game plan after that and then we fell behind,” Mooney coach Lou Cali Jr. said. “[Poland’s] possession, ball movement and attacking was the difference.
“We’re a little banged up and tried to switch our defense around a little bit, but I’m not sure it would have mattered. The way Poland moved the ball today was outstanding.”
Matt Holsinger tied the contest in the 10th minute before Sabula gave the Bulldogs the lead with a goal in the 29th minute. Poland then took a commanding two-score advantage when Marcus Trevis notched a goal in the 46th minute.
“Overall we did a good job of keeping with our game plan,” Garcar said. “We made sure we got our forwards involved a lot and created a lot of good opportunities that we were able to finish today.”
Poland goalie Bryan Montgomery finished with eight saves, while Mooney goalkeeper Dustin Hudka recorded seven. Cali felt his Cardinals — who finished the season 11-8 — were a step slow throughout the contest.
“At times it looked like we were running in mud,” he said. “I don’t know why that is — we’ve worked hard all year. It’s just one of those things that happens and Poland earned it.”
Next for the Bulldogs is a matchup with Alliance Marlington on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Art Wright Stadium in Wadsworth. Marlington beat top-seeded Wooster Triway to win the Tallmadge district on Saturday night.7
“Midway through the season we had a little downfall, but I think we’ve come through and are peaking at the right time,” Sabula said. “We just have to continue to play our game.”