Brock Netter, Editor
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by Holzer Health System.
WHEELERSBURG — Tuesday was about making a statement.
Minford is filled to the brim with young talent that have the next two to three years to shine.
But the Falcons aren’t waiting that long to make an impression.
Minford’s lone loss came to Wheelersburg earlier this season. On Thursday, the Falcons took the fight to the Pirates and got their revenge with an overwhelming 4-0 victory.
“I couldn’t be more proud of how the guys played right off the bat. They were disciplined, played with intensity and did it for one another,” Minford coach Jacob Hackworth said. “It was our most complete game from start to finish. The bench guys had great energy, everyone who played did a great job and coming away with a shutout victory on the road is showing ourselves what we’re made of.”
Hackworth admitted to having his team very well-prepared entering the contest. The hours of film study and scouting Wheelersburg (6-1-3, 4-1-1 SOC III), on top of how their first matchup ended, gave him full confidence in his squad.
“I’ve probably watched Wheelersburg 10 times this year, so some people give me a hard time for overscouting,” Hackworth said with a laugh. “You want to know what their tendencies are and what players can do what, and our guys did a great job of being locked in to the film, and pulling a shell around those danger zones to keep them off the board for a clean sheet.”
The Falcons (9-1, 5-1 SOC III) were in full control from the opening whistle, and it was clear they were on a mission.
Despite missing a number of shots early, it was the level of aggression and the fact they were getting shots off that gave them confidence.
They knew eventually one was going to connect, and finally with 7:57 left in the half, it did.
With the ball at the feet of Colby Mullens, the sophomore standout was surrounded by Pirates.
It didn’t matter, though.
Through a sea of defenders, he found an opening and connected with the bottom right corner of the net for a 1-0 lead — a lead Minford took into halftime.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever hit a shot like that before. Ashton [Reeder] played me a ball and I took a touch in before hitting it,” Mullens said. “I didn’t even see the ball go in. The only thing I saw was Ashton screaming at me before I finally saw the ball sitting in the back of the net, so that was insane. I definitely didn’t expect that to happen.”
It took just 18 seconds into the second half for Mullens to score again. He slithered his way through the Pirates’ defense and stuck the ball into the back of the net for a 2-0 lead.
“That one was just pure hustle. We knew how we were going to play the ball long on the kick,” Mullens said. “I challenged Wheelersburg to play the feet and found a way through into the net.”
Considering the flow of the game, it felt like a comfortable lead.
But Minford wasn’t done.
10 minutes later, the Falcons kicked it deep and after a bounce, Tate Johnson made the save with a bicycle kick that went straight to Walker Colley, who connected on a goal for a 3-0 lead.
CREDIT: Brock Netter/SOSA
Later, after his insane assist, Johnson was rewarded to end the night as he found himself at the right place at the right time, netting the match’s final goal to seal the deal on a victory.
“We’re a team that likes to kick the ball deep every time we can,” Johnson said. “I saw that I had a one-on-one advantage, and it looked like the ball was going out, so I had nothing to lose. I went up, got it and it happened to land at Walker’s foot. He had an amazing shot to the left side.”
“I saw the ball come in after Tyce [Cron] hit it, and Gabe [Turner] headed it,” he added. “The ball went through the keeper’s hands and I just happened to be right there to finish the chance.”
The victory now puts Minford in the driver’s seat of the SOC II standings with only a handful of games remaining.
Minford returned to action on Thursday and played to a 0-0 draw with South Webster. Meanwhile, Wheelersburg rebounded with a 3-0 win over Waverly.
The Falcons are back in action on Tuesday, hosting Waverly, while the Pirates travel to Alexander on Saturday.
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