Brock Netter, Editor
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
THE PLAINS — Septem hasn’t been too kind to Fairfield Union, especially in its first two weeks.
The Falcons opened with a pair of tough one-goal losses to both Hamilton Township and Warren — their only two losses this fall.
But they’re beginning to find their winning ways again.
Monday was a night that Zach VanDeWater won’t forget.
The senior forward gave Athens nightmares, posting a hat trick and leading his Falcons (6-2-2) to a 3-1 victory in non-conference action.
“It’s the start of the second half of the season, so we knew that we had to bring it and start off with some heat,” VanDeWater said. “We’ve put in a lot of time in the training ground and Athens is a really good team and we knew they’d give us a challenge. So this was a really good win for us.”
CREDIT: Brock Netter/SOSA
While VanDeWater’s night might be the headline, it was Athens (4-3-2) who got the hot start.
The Bulldogs attacked furiously in the early goings and, although Fairfield Union’s Carter Jubach made three incredible saves, Smucker Theo scored on the fourth shot, making it 1-0.
Minutes later, VanDeWater got his night going and found the equalizer, striking and connecting with the left side of the net to tie the game at 1-1 heading into halftime.
“To be honest, I wasn’t expecting the first goal,” VanDeWater said. “We’ve talked about getting shots off and creating chances for our teammates. I got a great pass at the 18, had a good look and just happened to slide it in the goal.”
Right out of halftime, VanDeWater was up to his old tricks again and found an opening to take his shot, giving his Falcons a 2-1 lead just two minutes into the second half.
PHOTOS: Images from Fairfield Union’s win over Athens
“I knew the ball was flying up ahead of me. [Fairfield Union] Coach [Jarrod Redding] always stresses about getting on those balls and getting it down to our feet,” VanDeWater said. “I got it to my foot and I turned, saw that I had the open shot and I put it on the frame.”
With momentum firmly on the Falcons’ side, the defense took center stage. Although Athens logged a few more shot attempts, the back line continued to hold strong against a tough Bulldog push.
And anytime Athens pushed to get a shot off, Jubach was right there to make one save after another.
“We talked during halftime and figured out how they like to play. They want to come down the line and look for the cross, so we learned to just keep them there and contain,” Fairfield Union’s Sam Smith said. “We did our best to play the long balls and clear them away, which made everything a lot more simple.”
As the minutes continued to dwindle, the Bulldogs continued fighting with the thought of not just equalizing, but making a comeback for the win.
However, VanDeWater had other plans and, off a cross into the middle, he pushed another score across the goal line to complete the hat trick and secure a victory.
“We’ve been practicing throw-ins so much. I saw the backside wide open and I knew that my teammate was going to get that ball on me,” VanDeWater said. “The guys did a great job creating that open space and striking the defenders. I was just there to make everybody else look good.”
Fairfield Union returns to action on Wednesday for MSL action at Bloom-Carroll. Athens rebounded with a 5-0 win over Belpre on Tuesday, and will face Warren at home on Thursday.
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