Indians open season with physical win over Panthers
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
EBER — The Hillsboro Indians outlasted the Miami Trace Panthers Tuesday at Panther Stadium by scoring first and last to take home a season-opening 2-1 South Central Ohio League win.
The physical matchup, which saw a yellow card on the Panthers late in the second half, was won on what turned out to be the eventual game-winning goal from senior Brandon Wilson with 13:31 remaining in the second half.
Wilson's kick to the left corner of the goal sailed past four Miami Trace diving Panther defenders from nearly 10 yards away from the goal, giving the Indians a 2-1 lead. The goal was assisted by Jordan O'Connor.
The first HHS goal occurred within five minutes of the start of the match when O'Connor kicked the ball into the back of the net, as the assist was credited to senior Michael Theobold.
"Michael was the heartbeat of this game for us," HHS coach John Weber said. "He led us on the field."
The Indians (1-0) controlled possession of the ball for nearly 80 percent of the game, but the Panthers did threaten to tie the game late in the second half, putting the ball near the Indians' goal, but they were unable to get the shot needed to tie the game.
Each team had opportunities to score goals late in the second half, as MT missed an opportunity with around 20 minutes remaining. HHS keeper Corey Walker had a game-changing save near the end of the first half that kept the match tied at 1-1.
"We controlled the ball for the entire second half," Weber said. "We missed a lot of shots going wide right, but overall, I am very pleased to get the win."
Weber spoke about getting a win in the first game of the season.
"It is always good to get over the hump in the first game of the season, especially a league win," he said. "I have very high expectations for this team, and tonight I was proud we got the win in a very tough match."
The yellow card for the Panthers came with 11:39 left in the second half.
The Indians will host the Washington Blue Lions on Thursday in an SCOL match starting at 5 p.m. in Hillsboro at Richards Memorial Field.[[In-content Ad]]
The physical matchup, which saw a yellow card on the Panthers late in the second half, was won on what turned out to be the eventual game-winning goal from senior Brandon Wilson with 13:31 remaining in the second half.
Wilson's kick to the left corner of the goal sailed past four Miami Trace diving Panther defenders from nearly 10 yards away from the goal, giving the Indians a 2-1 lead. The goal was assisted by Jordan O'Connor.
The first HHS goal occurred within five minutes of the start of the match when O'Connor kicked the ball into the back of the net, as the assist was credited to senior Michael Theobold.
"Michael was the heartbeat of this game for us," HHS coach John Weber said. "He led us on the field."
The Indians (1-0) controlled possession of the ball for nearly 80 percent of the game, but the Panthers did threaten to tie the game late in the second half, putting the ball near the Indians' goal, but they were unable to get the shot needed to tie the game.
Each team had opportunities to score goals late in the second half, as MT missed an opportunity with around 20 minutes remaining. HHS keeper Corey Walker had a game-changing save near the end of the first half that kept the match tied at 1-1.
"We controlled the ball for the entire second half," Weber said. "We missed a lot of shots going wide right, but overall, I am very pleased to get the win."
Weber spoke about getting a win in the first game of the season.
"It is always good to get over the hump in the first game of the season, especially a league win," he said. "I have very high expectations for this team, and tonight I was proud we got the win in a very tough match."
The yellow card for the Panthers came with 11:39 left in the second half.
The Indians will host the Washington Blue Lions on Thursday in an SCOL match starting at 5 p.m. in Hillsboro at Richards Memorial Field.[[In-content Ad]]