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Fitch takes down Boardman in AAC boys soccer
By Greg Gulas
BOARDMAN
With 22 goals, the Austintown Fitch boys soccer team hadn’t missed many scoring opportunities through its first three games.
After posting a third shutout, the Falcons’ defense seems to be as stingy as its offense is opportunistic.
Kyle Cyphert had two goals while Cameron Sobien and Zac Castro added a goal apiece as the Falcons stopped Boardman 4-0 in the All-American Conference Red Division opener for both schools.
It took a little over 25 minutes into the opening half, but Sobien’s goal gave the Falcons (4-0, 1-0) the advantage and the lead for good.
“I just got subbed on, Drake [Sahli] gave me a through ball and I gave it my best shot,” Sobien said. “The shot bounced off the crossbar and it snuck in to give us the lead.”
Fitch head coach Ken Kilpatrick said the game’s first 20 minutes definitely had the makings of an upset.
“We didn’t have very much on Boardman so today. We put out best four defenders in the back and we rarely do that,” Kilpatrick stated. “We’re a seasoned ball club that graduated just two seniors from last year’s team so we haven’t had many holes to fill. This was a big win for us because it’s always important to get that first league win. To get it on their field is just a bonus. We had our opportunities early and couldn’t capitalize. Our first two goals came from players coming off the bench and that gave us the lift we needed.”
With 5:13 remaining before the half, Zach Latimer assisted Castro on his second goal of the season for a 2-0 advantage.
“I was running down the field and Zach hit me with a perfect pass,” Castro said. “I took the ball to the outside of my right foot, it deflected off the goalkeeper and I was able to follow through for the goal.
“We’ve played together since we were little, so there’s excellent chemistry right now with us.”
Cyphert increased the lead to 3-0 with his goal at 23:59 of the second half, then rounded out the scoring when he cashed in on a penalty kick with 5:01 to play.
Cyphert has five goals this season.
“On the first goal the ball was bouncing on the outside, I brought it down with my chest and then kicked it into the near side of the net,” he said. “On the penalty kick I was looking to go to the right side, it was bit of a miss-hit and just slipped right under the keeper. Credit our defense because they have been solid. We’ve had a few injuries, but that’s where our depth really helps.”
Boardman head coach Eric Simione, whose Spartans have struggled with just two goals in three matches, said his team has had opportunities but haven’t capitalized.
“In our first two games, we had 20 or so scoring opportunities but haven’t been able to convert. We’ll take the opportunities, but need to finish,” he said. “We’ve struggled in all areas our first two games and when you are struggling, you don’t want to play a team like Austintown Fitch. Tonight, they looked every bit as good as I thought they would.
“They were averaging over seven goals a game coming in so when we were down 2-0 at the half, I felt comfortable because we played with heart and intensity. Playing on the old field, I told our team that here was a lot of history with the program and between these two teams. Despite the loss I was proud of our overall play.”
The Falcons had nine shots on goal to the Spartans’ three attempts, including just one in the opening half.
Fitch goalkeeper Hunter Klaus improved to 4-0.
Boardman dropped to 0-2-1 overall and 0-1 in the AAC Red).