Montgomery saves the day as Newton Falls beats Harding
Trending
WARREN -- On two separate occasions, Derek Montgomery helped save the game for the Newton Falls boys soccer team.
The Tigers' goalkeeper made two key saves during the second half, and they were key to Thursday's 2-1 victory over Warren G. Harding at Mollenkopf Stadium in Warren.
"Once you think you can go get that ball, you go get that ball," Montgomery said. "That's all you're thinking about, because if you don't, they're either scoring or throw it over. After you don't get the ball, that's all you can think of, if they're gonna score or not."
Montgomery kept the Tigers in front with just under 20 minutes left. The Raiders had the ball inside the box when Nicki Warfield got a shot off, but Montgomery got enough of the ball for the save.
Montgomery made another key save seven minutes later when Harding lined up for a free kick. Again, the Tigers' goalie got enough of the ball to send it over the net.
"It's kinda crazy. Sometimes I do things that even I don't think I can do," Montgomery said. "Then I do it, and I'm like, 'Maybe I can do it again.' Once that starts (becoming) your mentality, you can just keep doing it."
The Raiders spent the first 15 minutes in the Newton Falls end of the pitch.
The pressure paid off as the Raiders got on the board with 24:57 left in the first half. Mariano Sylvester threaded the ball ahead through the Tigers' back line. Treshawn Clarke was sprinting ahead when the ball reached his foot, and he deposited it in the back of the net for the opening goal.
The momentum quickly swung after halftime.
Newton Falls (2-2) struck early to start the second half. Leland Vargo got the Tigers on the board and tied the game at 1 minutes after play resumed.
Harding (1-1) had a couple of chances to retake the lead. Several minutes in, the Raiders had back-to-back free kicks from the 20-yard line. However, the Tigers blocked both of them, and Carter Drake found some space afterward to put Newton Falls ahead with 32 minutes to play.
"The kids just got themselves together, and they got the right mindset," Newton Falls head coach Frank Tatarka said. "This is our game to win, and we gotta come out and do what we gotta do to win. We got a lot of talent on the team, we really do."
From there, the defense started to step up for the Tigers. To compound issues for the Raiders, injuries and cramps began to slow Harding down.
After generating a couple of high-danger scoring chances earlier in the half, the Raiders were unable to threaten the Tigers' back line as the clock ran down.
Harding head coach Troy Elsea said the team is still learning how to play competitive soccer. The Raiders only had three wins last year, and while his players have the basics down, scoring is still a part missing from his team's offense.
"I think as a team, we have to work on how to finish," Elsea said. "I think one of the things, as a group, that we struggled with was that we weren't a very good team last year. Now that we're getting a lot of these opportunities, the kids don't have the experience to get the ball into the net."
Even when the Raiders had chances in the second half, Montgomery was there in the net to keep the ball out.
"From when he started playing three years ago 'till today, he's been really much improved," Tatarka said. "He's been one of the defenders that everybody's looking to, to hold the team together. Him and the man in the center, Conner Dunlap.
"He's been such a team leader. I can't find anybody better to be a team leader back there."