Canfield overcomes slow start to beat Cardinal Mooney
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CANFIELD -- A week after earning a clean sheet in its first match of the season, Canfield finished with another clean sheet in its second win, a 2-0 victory vs. visiting Cardinal Mooney on Tuesday.
After more than 25 minutes of a 0-0 stalemate, Canfield, much to the pleasure of head coach Phil Simone, finally "connected" in the final third to take a first-half lead. Canfield connected again early in the second half, and on the other end, prevented Mooney from threatening much at all.
"We haven't played in a week. School started this week, so we were a little sluggish first half, just kind of went through the motions. A little bit sluggish, complacent, I guess is the best word for it," Simone said. "But then as the second half came along, we looked a lot more dangerous, got a little bit more comfortable, let the ball do the work a little bit more. And we played a lot more like ourselves second half."
From kickoff, Canfield controlled the action and put pressure on Mooney goalkeeper Bryce Steyer, who endured attacks primarily spearheaded by Collin Casey, Nick Atsas and Chase Cuffle.
It took more than 11 minutes before Mooney could do the same, although the pair of corner kicks it earned ultimately came and went without a shot on goal.
Canfield responded with its best run to that point, which nearly resulted in a one-on-one chance, but Ty Novotny's pass toward the middle of the field went just a little too far, allowing Steyer to dive on the ball and stop the attack.
Ten minutes later, Canfield almost got another up-close shot at the net, but a timely Mooney tackle made Canfield reset offensively.
Fortunately for the home Cardinals, they did not have to wait long to get another opportunity, as, 90 seconds later, Atsas collected the ball and fired a shot from about 20 yards out, which flew into the top-right corner of the net, above the outstretched hands of a diving Steyer.
The goal, the only one in the first half, came with 13:34 left to play before the break, and it came minutes after Simone yelled from the touchline to "connect in the final third."
Less than five minutes after returning from halftime, Canfield increased its lead to 2-0 with a goal by Cuffle.
"That last pass in the final third, we were forcing it, we were trying to hit a through ball. And we just weren't connecting right where we wanted to," Simone said. "Everything kept going long to their keeper instead of us connecting at the feet and just trying to get a little bit better of an opportunity.
"They just started listening a little bit more and connecting and being a little bit more patient in that final phase."
Canfield, despite not scoring again, maintained its edge in possession throughout the rest of the game and, with an active midfield, consistently kept Mooney's attacks from reaching senior keeper Rocco Catheline.
"Canfield's always a great team. They're always well organized," Mooney head coach Matthew Britton said. "And again, it went to our youthfulness. The moment was a little too big and then we just got frustrated. We were trying to play too quick, and then sometimes, we were just trying to do too much."
Mooney (0-2), which lost its season opener 2-1 to Boardman last Thursday, hosts Bay on Saturday as Britton, who spoke at length with his team following Tuesday's loss, tries to correct his team's "youthful mistakes."
"We're a very young team. We graduated eight starters last year. So basically -- you hate to say it so early in the season -- we're basically like a glorified JV team," Britton said. "Unfortunately, we're going to take some lumps early in the season. But as long as the team stays together and we keep growing, the future's going to be bright for us this year."
Between its season-opening win vs. Salem and Tuesday's victory, Canfield (2-0) has outscored its opponents 7-0 this season. The team, however, will have to wait another week before playing its third game, a home matchup with Hickory (Pa.).
"It's sometimes difficult because you can't get in a rhythm," Simone said of the schedule. "Practice obviously doesn't simulate what a game is like. And when other teams are playing a couple games in between that time when you're sitting, [it's tough] just getting that game shape, that game speed of play back to where we need it to be."