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Game-winning Guy: Ursuline tops WB
By Greg Gulas
YOUNGSTOWN
Guy Kaho’s goal at 16:52 of the second half was all the offense Ursuline needed as the Fighting Irish turned back the West Branch Warriors, 1-0 in boys soccer action Thursday at YSU’s Farmers National Bank Field.
It was the first win of the season for the Irish (1-3), who evened their home mark at 1-1.
For Kaho, the first win of the season could not have come at a better time.
“The ball was coming down off of our free kick and Nick Beike took the initial shot. I was able to get a shot off after the ball was deflected by their goalie [Marshall Ney] and after my shot bounced off of his chest, I got the second deflection and was able to put it in the net,” Kaho said. “Both goalies had excellent games and were very stingy all night. Our goalie, Bryce Blazek, worked really hard in the off-season and it showed tonight. It’s great to get that first home win.”
Blazek, a senior and two-year starter, recorded his first shutout of the season and fifth overall in his career.
“All I did with my defense was keep talking to them. We covered for each other and they really did a nice job of keeping their offense in check the entire game,” Blazek added.
Ursuline had 13 shots overall and six on goal, including four in the first half that saw the teams battle to a scoreless deadlock.
Blazek and the Fighting Irish defense held the Warriors (3-4-1) to five total shots and three on goal, two of those attempts coming in opening stanza.
The majority of the first half was played at the West Branch end of the field, but the Warriors were able to turn the tables in the second half after both teams weathered a 33 minute halftime delay due to thunder and lightning.
“We had to fight for everything night because West Branch is an excellent team,” Ursuline head coach Roy Schmidt said. “The key for us was our perseverance. We couldn’t get a break in the first half and you have to credit both goalies because each was outstanding. I have the utmost respect for West Branch head coach Matt Thomas. I’ve known him for some time now and know exactly the type of program that he runs.”
Several scoring opportunities for Ursuline fell short in the first half and the Fighting Irish defense held the Warriors’ offense in check by not allowing a shot until the 17:41 mark.
They didn’t allow a shot on goal until 2:13 remained.
West Branch’s best scoring opportunity came in the second half off a free kick by Connor Hedrick, that coming at 29:02 but it sailed over the top of the Ursuline net.
Beike also had a free kick opportunity for the Fighting Irish, his coming at 19:19 from the left side but his ball hit the top of the bar and the game remained scoreless.
Ney said it took some time to get adjusted to the field’s artificial turf.
“We play on grass and while this is an excellent surface, it took us some time in order to get adjusted,” Ney said. “Our edge is that we are a well-conditioned team. We work hard and put forth a lot of effort in that area.”
Thomas thought both teams played well despite the threatening weather.
“I’m disappointed that we lost, but not disappointed in how we played,” Thomas said. “While we played the majority of the first half on our side of the field, we were able to press them more in the second half.”
With the loss, West Branch fell to 1-2-1 on the road.