It’s a good thing the Ohio Cardinal Conference boys soccer tournament has overtime periods. It’s becoming more and more clear that 80 minutes isn’t enough time to decide games among some of the OCC contenders.
The latest example came Tuesday when Clear Fork and Lexington battled to a 2-2 tie on the home pitch for the Minutemen.
Both teams now have 2-0-2 records in the OCC. Clear Fork is 4-1-2 overall while Lexington is 3-1-2.
“This is such a huge rivalry for both these schools,” Clear Fork coach Brian Kinnard said afterward. “There is not a lot of love lost between the two teams. The players all know each other. It was just a tremendous battle tonight.”
The Colts scored first with 31:27 left in the first half on a penalty kick by Karsten Vuillemont. The penalty kick came after the Minutemen committed a foul inside the box after a strong Clear Fork run.
“I thought we started the game flat and let them dictate the play,” Lexington coach Peter Them said. “That was obvious on their first goal … we were not ready.”
That was the only goal in the first 40 minutes, though both teams had chances late. Lexington’s Dillon Thomas took a pass from Bailey Faust and slammed a shot on goal with 4:46 left in the half. Colts goalkeeper Zach Pyle made the save, one of two the senior had in the first half. Clear Fork’s Cade Hickenbotham made a great run up the right side and his shot was just wide right as the half ended.
Trailing 1-0, Lexington played like a different team in the second half. Thomas had two great shots on goal in the first six minutes of the half, though sophomore keeper Shane Klenk saved one and the other sailed wide right.
However, that just set the stage for a great 67 seconds for Thomas. He tied the score at 1-1 on a penalty kick with 30:15 left in the game after a Lexington player was fouled in the box. Then, with 29:08 remaining, Thomas gave Lexington a 2-1 lead after a corner kick, set up when Klenk made a save but ended up carrying the ball beyond the end line.
“Dylan is a great senior leader,” Them said. “He is a three-year letterman and a captain. He is a big part of what we are doing this season. He is a natural finisher and plays with great emotion.”
Kinnard said his team lost its focus. “We had a mental lapse for about three minutes,” he said. “It was just a total momentum shift.”
That lead lasted until 15:40 when Jake Neumann came clean on a pass from David McKinley. He dribbled through a pair of Lexington defenders on the right side and then slammmed a goal into the left-hand corner, beating Lexington keeper Kyle Dunlap.
“That was a beautiful goal,” Kinnard said. “It started with a great pass in transition from the midfield and the forward made the appropriate response. We practice that all the time and it was great to see it on the field.”
Both teams had additional chances to score, but neither was able to regain the lead.
“I think our intensity was much better in the second half,” Them said. “The kids came out and showed a willingness to play hard.”
In keeping with the varsity match, the Lexington and Clear Fork JV teams played to a 1-1 tie.
Both teams face non-league opponents in their next matches. Lexington is back in action Thursday at home against Mansfield Christian. Clear Fork travels to Norwalk on Saturday.
