Rams split two at Johnston tourney
The Glenwood boys soccer team split a pair of games at the Johnston Invitational Saturday.
The Rams (3-1) ran into a buzz saw in their opener, falling to the host Dragons 8-0 for their first loss of the season.
Johnston started the scoring in the first minute when one of their wings ran free on a cross, according to Glenwood coach Cort Lovato.
“Our outside defender had gone down with an injury, which allowed the player to run free. Johnston continued the scoring with three more goals in the first half. The second half saw Johnston score for more goals.
“Johnston controlled possession and the game,” Lovato said. “We changed our formation to a more defensive shape, which made it more difficult to connect from the back when we gained possession.
Connor Weis did a good job of not letting more in as Johnston had a total of 26 shots on goal.
“The boys played as well as expected considering the circumstances they faced. Johnston is a top notch 3A team and program, the boys did not give up and never dropped their heads. I am proud of them for that.
The Rams bounced back to the win their tournament capper, knocking off North Polk 3-1 on goals by Josh Radcliff, Ian Sloan and Andy Staiert.
The first half ended with a scoreless tie as both teams tried to get their legs going after morning matches. North Polk started the scoring in the second half in the third minute. But Andy Staiert came back to tie the game for Glenwood on a set piece in the 15th minute.
Josh Radcliff put Glenwood ahead in the 21st minute off a corner kick from Conrad Millar. Ian Sloan added an insurance goal when he controlled a cross from Ben Bryson and found back of the net in the 30th minute to finish the scoring for Glenwood.
Lovato said his team did a much better job of “finishing” in the final 40 minutes.
“The first half was back and forth possession, mostly the boys controlled it in the first half,” Lovato said. “The challenge was finishing in the final third. The boys were still trying to get their legs moving from the first game of the day, which made them a step slow. The second half was much better. The boys possessed more, had more shots on goal, and did a much better job with movement in the final third. The boys had one defensive breakdown, which led to North Polk’s only goal.”
The boys played well the second half. The first half was a struggle, they had a hard time forgetting the previous game. Communication by the boys was the reason they played better the second half and got the win.
Conference season starts Monday against LC. It will be a tough game as their defense does not conceded many goals.
Glenwood 6,
C.B. Thomas Jefferson 0
For the second game in a row to open the season, a Glenwood player scored a career first hat trick and the Rams pulled away for easy non-conference victories.
The Rams got three goals from sophomore Ben Frazee, two more from Fernando Gonzalez and a sixth goal late from Andy Staiert in the shutout victory.
The Rams opened the game facing the wind but it never seemed to impact their attack, Glenwood coach Cort Lovato said.
“The wind made the boys concentrate with their first touch and really play to feet,” said Lovato. “The boys controlled the ball from the first whistle and had possession most of the first half. The second half was more possession by the boys and the scoring continued in the second half.
“It was a well-played game by our back five and front five. The boys played as a single unit and did not become disconnected throughout the game. Overall it was a pleasure to watch and be a part of. I did not think the boys would tally six against a very tough T.J. team.
Gonzalez, who has scored five goals in the Rams first two games, started the scoring again on a set piece in the 14th minute against the wind. Frazee followed up with goals in the 21st minute from a corner and the 39th minute on a chip shot to give Glenwood a 3-0 halftime lead.
The second half started again with Gonzalez scoring in the first minute on a corner. Frazee scored in the 17th minute from a set piece, his first hat trick of his career. Staiert finished the scoring in the 20th minute from another corner.
Conrad Millar assisted on three of the Rams’ goals.
Glenwood 3,
Sergeant Bluff-Luton 1
Fernando Gonzalez recorded his first career hat trick as the Glenwood boys soccer team opened the season with a 3-1 victory over Sergeant Bluff-Luton last Monday.
Gonzalez, the Rams’ senior forward, kicked off his record scoring night booting in a deflected shot by Nick Embray in the eighth minute. Less than a minute later, Gonzalez added to Glenwood’s lead with another goal, this time off a dynamite assist from Josh Radcliff.
“Two goals in the first nine minutes of the game by Gonzalez set the tone,” said Glenwood coach Cort Lovato.
Sergeant Bluff-Luton was able to recover and halved the score to 2-1 with 13 minutes left to play in the first half.
The second half saw the Warrior turn up their attack more and the game open up. Gonzalez scored his third goal of the game in the 54th minute.
The Warriors pressed even more and Ram goal keeper Connor Weis made a great save to keep Sergeant Bluff-Luton scoreless in the second half.
“The boys possessed well throughout the game,” Lovato said. “They were able to connect well at times. They had some challenges with communication at times, which directly led to the SBL goal. SBL played an attacking style, which was a great test for our back line and midfield. We have made tweaks to how the back line plays; they kept their shape and were able to adjust when needed.”