John Bruce, Staff Writer
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
KINNIKINNICK — Once Lynchburg-Clay sophomore Harley Lewis gets a step on a defender, more often than not, it means good things for the Mustangs.
In Monday night’s Division V district semifinal at Zane Trace, Lewis got that advantage twice, leading to both of the Mustangs’ goals.
The second of those goals came with just 6:47 to play and helped elevate the Mustangs past Eastern by a 2-1 final — and back into the district championship game on Saturday evening.
CREDIT: Raymond Gleadle/SOSA
“Eastern has improved so much over the last three years. They have a number of kids in the midfield who dribbled right through our defense at times,” Lynchburg-Clay coach Jason West said. “There’s a significant difference between playing on grass and turf, which is something we don’t do enough of. It’s a huge difference, not just with the speed of the ball, but the way it bounces off the ground. We were antsy at times, but the guys did a great job adjusting to it.”
With Monday being the second clash of the season between the two Southern Hills Athletic Conference rivals, play on the pitch was fast and physical, especially with Lynchburg wanting revenge after a 1-0 loss to the Warriors during the regular season.
The speed and physicality of the game was immediately apparent with Eastern just missing a goal with a shot off the post just two minutes in.
However, that would be the closest either team came to scoring for the next 30-plus minutes as the defenses took center stage.
Lynchburg-Clay’s backline of Levi Fields, Caden Boone, Wyatt Osborn and Linkin Barnett stayed consistent and tight throughout the first half, clearing anything coming down the middle and keeping the Warriors outside of the penalty area for the majority of the half.
Goalkeeper Tanner Roberts had a single save in the first half, while his counterpart Chase Pinkerton had only two in the opening half for the Warriors.
Eastern’s defense, led by Samuel Ramer and Will Litzinger, matched the Warriors for almost the entire first half, using speed and efficiency to keep a clean sheet until the final moments.
That all changed with just under four minutes to play when Lewis was able to fly by his defender on a through ball, just edging past with his shoulder before picking up an extra step.
Following his first touch, he guided the ball past a diving Pinkerton and towards the goal line. Once the ball rolled towards the net, an Eastern defender appeared to have a chance to clear the ball off of the line, but Lynchburg-Clay sophomore Quin Wells came hustling in to beat the defense and drive the ball into the back of the net with 3:52 to play, giving the Mustangs a 1-0 lead.
PHOTOS: Images from Lynchburg-Clay’s district semifinal win over Eastern Brown
Coming out of the break, Eastern immediately picked up its level of skill as junior Kayne Dotson found classmate Jayse Riggs with a nice combination pass, leading Riggs into the box. Riggs slotted the ball into the net with 37:48 remaining in the game for a 1-1 tie.
With time running down, and with the anxiety of a tie match turning up, each team tried to take control of the action. Skillful passing and possession was the name of the game over the next 30 minutes of play, giving each team ample chances to build from the back to attempt to break through for the game-winner.
It would come with 6:47 left in a similar play to how Lewis set up the opening goal for the Mustangs. Lewis was able to split the defense on a rolling ball near the top of the box and after a soft touch, the sophomore gained possession and flicked the sphere into the back of the net, giving the Mustangs a late advantage.
“Harley has a gear that most kids don’t have, and he has soft feet that go at a pace most can’t keep up with,” West said. “All he needs is a shoulder, and it’s off to the races. He’s a raw player, but he’s improved so much at finishing and he has such physical abilities that only God could have given him.”
The final minutes of the game upped Eastern’s desperation for the equalizer while the Mustangs calmly defended and ran the clock out when they did gain possession.
Midfield play from Elam Faust, Alexander VanFleet and Aric Slack kept the Mustangs organized and denied the Warriors any opportunity at the goal over the closing moments.
A final push from the Warriors would go without a threat as the Mustangs were able to grind out the clock to earn a hard-fought 2-1 win.
“We have a style of play this year that is much different than how we’ve played in years past,” West said. “Historically, we’ve centered our game around possession, but since we have more speed up top, we play a lot of direct and it frustrates some teams. But when we’re able to take a lead, our veteran guys like Eric Slack, Elam Foust and Alex VanFleet do a great job of stepping to the ball and understanding situational soccer.”
Lynchburg-Clay advances to meet with South Webster, an 8-0 winner over Chesapeake, at 5 p.m., Saturday at Zane Trace in a Division V district semifinal.
Goal summary
1st Half
3:52 – LC – Quin Wells, assisted by Harley Lewis
2nd Half
37:48 – E – Jayse Riggs, assisted by Kayne Dotson
6:47 – LC – Harley Lewis
Statbook
Shots: Lynchburg-Clay 6, Eastern 8
Saves: Lynchburg-Clay 3 (Roberts 3), Eastern 4 (Pinkerton 4)
Fouls: Lynchburg-Clay 8, Eastern 9
Corners: Lynchburg-Clay 4, Eastern 2
Offsides: Lynchburg-Clay 1, Eastern 1
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