2nd half gets away from Mustangs in loss to Wheelersburg
Lynchburg-Clay's Austin Bell battles with a Wheelersburg player in their non-conference game Saturday. (HCP Photos/Stephen Forsha)
DODSONVILLE — After trailing for most of the game, then tying the score in the latter stages of the second half, the Lynchburg-Clay Mustangs saw the visiting Wheelersburg Pirates score two quick goals, leading to a 3-1 loss for the host Mustangs.
In their loss at LCHS this weekend, the Mustangs never got full momentum of the match on the offensive side of the ball, and other than their one goal scored, the Pirates controlled the tempo of the non-conference contest.
Wheelersburg was first to score with a goal by Nick Sylvia at the 23:20 mark of the first half, leading to the early 1-0 lead, as that’s the score that stood when halftime arrived.
The first half was mostly all Wheelersburg on offense, pressuring the Mustangs, but LCHS keeper Isaac Eyre played a good game with strong saves in the first half.
The second half saw Eyre make another big stop with 27 minutes left in the match, and then at 17:13 Eyre once again kept it a one-goal deficit with a two-handed diving stop to the right side of the net.
The defense of the Mustangs also helped keep it a 1-0 score with 12:55 left in regulation, and Eyre even had to shake off a hard collision with a Wheelersburg player at the net, resulting in a yellow card with 9:31 on the clock.
The Mustangs got on the board with a goal from Braedon West, with the assist from Cody Bell for the 1-1 score with 8:20 left in the match. The goal was West’s seventh of the season.
Seventeen seconds later, the Mustangs were trailing as the Pirates had Sylvia put the Pirates back in the lead with 8:03 on the clock with a made penalty kick. Sylvia now has 20 goals this season.
The Mustangs then were handed a yellow card of their own following the penalty kick, and nine in-game seconds later, the Pirates were ahead by a 3-1 score as Carter Rawlins scored a goal for the visitors.
For the Mustangs, Eyre totaled six saves, and Tanner Roberts (who played in the latter stages of the second half) had one save for the Mustangs. For the season, Eyre currently has 28 saves.
The loss moves the Mustangs to 5-2-0 overall, and they are currently 4-0-0 in the Southern Hills Athletic Conference. Wheelersburg improves to 7-1-0 overall.
Next for the Mustangs is a home SHAC match on Monday, Sept. 16 vs. the Eastern Warriors.
WHS 1 2 — 3
LCHS 0 1 — 1
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