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EAGLES SOAR OVER CARDINALS
Trobek’s 4 goals power Hubbard past Canfield
By BOB ETTINGER
HUBBARD
Hubbard striker A.J. Trobek believes he and his teammates perform at a higher level once the pressure gets ratcheted up on them.
Whether that’s true or not, Trobek and the Eagles certainly found a higher gear in scoring five unanswered goals to down Canfield, 6-1, in Tuesday’s Division II district semifinal at Alumni Field.
“The plan was to create as many opportunities as we could and finish them,” said Trobek who scored four goals. “The team, collectively, was unselfish and that’s why we were able to create so many opportunities.
“[After Canfield tied it], it was just the atmosphere, the fans, the moment and the intensity [that allowed us to find a higher gear].” Trobek said. “We play better under pressure.”
The top-seeded Eagles (17-0-1) will battle second-seeded Howland, a 2-1 double-overtime victor over South Range, for the district title and a berth in the regional tournament at Niles McKinley’s Bo Rein Stadium on Saturday at 7 p.m.
“We haven’t seen Howland this year,” Hubbard coach Cory Reinard said. “We know it will be the same as this game was when it started. We’ll see a lot of pressure and possession. They have a lot of great players.”
Trobek gave Hubbard a 1-0 lead on a penalty kick in the ninth minute of the first half.
The Cardinals (7-8-3) then knotted it, 1-1, in the 16th minute on an own goal by Hubbard. Canfield’s Mike Mecure sent a shot wide, but it was redirected off the leg of an Eagle defender into the net.
Fewer than 40 seconds later, Canfield returned the favor with an own goal. A Cardinals defender tried to head a shot by the Eagles’ Nader Kassem and it was redirected into the net to give Hubbard a 2-1 lead with 23:25 to play in the half, energizing the Hubbard players.
“These boys have a hunger,” Reinard said. “They have a goal and they don’t want anything to get in the way.
“Maybe they needed a wake-up call,” Reinard said. “Once we gave them that goal, there was a fire under us. They pressured us in the first half and that made things difficult for us in the first half.
“[After the two own goals], I thought it was going to be one of those crazy games where everything fell against both teams.”
That moment staggered the Cardinals.
“Getting that goal to equalize helped,” Canfield coach Christian Silvestri said. “Giving up the own goal, I think, messed with their heads. The own goal, I think, really deflated us.”
Anthony Gagliardi added to the lead on an assist from Jacob Gulu in the 36th minute before Trobek took an assist from Gagliardi and scored to make it 4-1 with 2:28 remaining in the first half.
Despite the late first-half charge by the Eagles, Canfield wasn’t quite out of the contest.
“We weren’t really that upset to start the second half,” Silvestri said. “We thought we’d equalize it and have a chance to win it. The two red cards and another goal made it seem like it was kind of seem like it was getting away from us.”
Trobek changed that with a goal on an assist from Gagliardi just 1:09 into the second half. A red card followed for a Canfield defender forcing the Cardinals to play a man down. A second red card midway through the half had them playing at a two-man disadvantage.
“At the half, we talked about not letting [Canfield] back in,” Reinard said. “We wanted to get one more goal to put it out of reach. If they got one goal, it could’ve changed momentum and ew might have let them back in. Put that goal in, knocked them out.”
Kassem found Trobek and the junior scored for the fourth time in the 12th minute of the second half to put the game out of reach.
“Obviously, it feels amazing, more because I helped the team win,” Trobek said. “If we lose, 5-4, and I score four goals, it doesn’t matter. Winning was all that’s important to me.”