McClain boys soccer loses to Jackson

The McClain boys varsity soccer team lost 7-1 to Frontier Athletic Conference favorite Jackson, Tuesday night in Greenfield.

The Ironmen took a 4-0 lead early in the match and extended it to 7-0 at the half, but in the second half the Tigers played much better, especially on defense, where they held Jackson scoreless.

Creed Davis had McClain’s only goal, which was set up by a free kick opportunity from Gustavo Simas that dropped in front of the net and Davis put it away.

“I thought we played much better in the second half when we outscored Jackson 1-0 after falling behind 7-0 in the first half,” said McClain head coach John Gill. “I think our second-half performance was probably our best that we’ve played all year.

“Not allowing a really good team like Jackson to score on us in the back half of the game showed real toughness and composure. We tweaked our lineup a little bit in the second half and moved Creed (Davis) to a wing and put Nicholas Alvarez at right back, where I thought he played very well.

“Zane Knisley, our freshman goalie, also made some big saves at the net including a one-handed one from over his head which kept Jackson from scoring a goal,” Gill continued. “It was a disappointing final result tonight, but our growth as a team was very evident in the way we played in the second half.”

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