MANSFIELD — He hasn’t put the ball in the back of the net very often this fall, but when Kyle Alexander scores he does so in bunches.
Two nights after knocking in the game-winner at Clear Fork, Alexander scored a pair of goals and had a hand in a third as the Minutemen stopped Mansfield Christian 3-2 in front of a large and boisterous crowd Thursday at Comstock Field.
Lex, ranked 12th in Division II in this week’s Ohio Scholastic Soccer Coaches Association state poll, improved to 6-1. The Flames, ranked eighth in Division III, slipped to 3-1-2.
“Those are only my third and fourth goals of the season. I haven’t scored a lot but, yeah, I’m on fire now,” Alexander said with a smile.
The senior forward set up Lexington’s first goal when he was fouled from behind in the box midway through the first half. Connor Baughman’s ensuing penalty kick gave the Minutemen a 1-0 advantage.
Six minutes later, Alexander broke into the open on a long run behind the MCS defense and chased down a Gavin Carns pass that pulled Flames’ goalkeeper Reed Vrooman off his line. Alexander rolled a shot past a sprawling Vrooman for a 2-0 Lex lead.
After MCS pulled even on goals by David Cochran and Brandon Mount, Alexander scored the game-winner off a Bailey Faust assist with 24:28 remaining in the second half.
“Kyle Alexander stepped up and made two great strikes. He got fouled in the box to create a PK and Connor stepped up and put it in the back of the net,” Lexington coach Peter Them said. “You can’t ask for more than that. Most of the time … three goals should get you a win.”
Under Pressure: It was a busy night for Lex keeper Zac Ritchey as the Flames used their hallmark short passing game to control the ball much of the first half.
“They are always phenomenal with their attacks. They just come with everything they have,” Ritchey said. “I just tried to keep my head and play my game. As long as I stayed calm and didn’t get all antsy I knew that I’d be fine.
“They scored two on me and they were two fantastic goals.”
Cochran’s goal came with 3:54 remaining in the first half and cut Lexington’s lead to 2-1.
“That first one he got his hand on and it just trickled by him,” Them said. “He came off and said, ‘I was in the wrong spot.’ If we don’t let him dribble through four guys that’s not going to happen.”
Mount scored the equalizer with 26:32 left in the match.
“In the second half he’s getting a barrage of shots on him and he’s knocking them over,” Them said. “That’s what Zac does. He wants to win. He wants to make sure we’re doing things right.”
The Flames had almost twice as many shots on goal.
“We’ve got to work on finishing our chances,” MCS coach Stephen Armstrong said. “We probably had 70 percent possession in the first half and that’s exactly what I wanted the guys to do.
“Going into the second half I was confident. I told them I’m not worried at all that we’re down 2-to-1.”
Stars and Stripes: Alexander wore a pair of Red, White and Blue socks adorned with stars and stipes under his game socks. He said he wore them in honor of 9/11.
“I had them since last Christmas. I try to represent,” he said. “They were lucky. Maybe I’ll try them in the next game, too.”
