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Cards keeper Joseph blanks Spartans
By Greg Gulas
CANFIELD
Canfield High School soccer goalkeeper Jeff Joseph picked the right time to record his first shutout of the season.
His defense couldn’t have been more helpful in keeping league rival Boardman out of easy shooting range.
Alex Shaer and Frank Phillips scored within 90 seconds to open each half and Joseph rejected eight Spartans shots as the Cardinals defeated Boardman, 2-0, Thursday in All-American Conference Red Tier action at Bob Dove Field.
For Joseph, a junior who was a converted field player last season, it was his eighth career shutout.
“As far as I’m concerned, I have the best four guys in front of me keeping our opponents’ offense in check,” Joseph said. “It’s one of those deals where the goalie gets entirely too much credit for stopping the ball because a game like this, especially when it’s a shutout, is a team effort and everyone shares in the outcome.
“This was big for us because it’s a league win and while we have a way to go, the message we’re sending to opponents is that we’re improving each time out and getting better after a slow start.”
Shaer’s unassisted goal 61 seconds into the game staked the Cardinals (2-2-1, 2-1) to the early advantage.
It was the only tally of the opening half for either team.
“The ball was bouncing in the box, just came to me and I was able to wrap it around the goalie,” Shaer said. “It was a tight angle but slipped through.
“Getting the early lead early was big because it gave us momentum and they were the ones who had to play catch up,” Shaer said. “With two straight wins now it’s a confidence builder as well.”
Early in the second half, Phillips needed just 84 seconds to give the Cardinals a two-goal lead.
“Early goals are energy boosters and we had two tonight,” Phillips said. “On my goal, the left back crossed it to the right forward and I was able to cut behind the defense.”
The Spartans (4-3, 0-3) outshot the Cardinals, 8-6 with Boardman’s Brian Fryda superb in goal.
“Brian [Fryda] had an excellent game in goal, but we’re going to have to take a long, hard look at what’s going wrong during the early going of a half,” Boardman head coach Eric Simione said. “We’ve allowed three early goals this season at the start of a half and that isn’t a habit that you want to get into if you expect to win.
“Both teams played well and we controlled a lot of the game, but our shots either hit the post or crossbar and just couldn’t find the inside of the net,” Simione said.
Cardinals coach Phil Simone called their win against the Spartans very big.
“Boardman has always been a rival so to win, especially when it’s a league game, is big,” Simone said. “Scoring early was also very important.
“The first five and last five minutes of a half are crucial because they can either make or break you as a team,” Simone said. “Tonight’s shutout is a confidence builder for Jeff while this was the first start of the season for Alex [Shaer]; a player who stepped it up last week and gave a great effort tonight.
“Effort is something that you simply cannot teach.”