Offensive success powers Poland over Boardman for first win
Trending
BOARDMAN -- Poland's attack proved relentless throughout Tuesday's boys soccer match vs. Boardman, and it helped lift the Bulldogs, who suffered a decisive loss in their season opener, to a 1-0 victory on the road.
Poland head coach Brian Garcar said the win was just what his team needed three days removed from a 4-0 defeat against Marlington.
"It was a good result for us, especially after Saturday," Garcar said. "Boardman's a well-coached team. They're organized. They have great players, especially attacking players. So I'm proud of the group. And we have an injury in the back, so we're kind of shuffling some guys around. But they were able to respond. They played well tonight."
Although Poland could not effectively breach the Boardman back line early, the Bulldogs recorded some of the very few shots on goal in the first half as the Spartans' own attack continued to stall in the final third.
After Boardman finally officially tested Poland goalkeeper Logan Ramsey with a free kick on target, the Bulldogs found the back of the net on the other end.
Just over 30 minutes into the game, Salvi Carramusa dribbled the ball up the left side of the field before passing it across the turf and in front of the goal, where Michael Hostal found it and sent it past Boardman keeper Ben Kelso.
After Poland scored, the Spartans found some success in their attack, but they still entered halftime down 1-0.
Following the break, Poland settled into a groove offensively, and it resulted in numerous promising, albeit unsuccessful, chances. Carramusa and Hostal, in particular, ignited many of the runs, as Boardman unsuccessfully tried to get enough time and space to launch its own attacks.
"We got in a better rhythm. We possessed a little bit more. We were able to isolate some different spots and get Salvi and Michael Hostal in some spots where we hope they can be effective," Garcar said. "I think early in the season you're hoping to just create chances. You're looking for the ideas at this point. Hopefully, as we continue to get reps in practice and then in games, we'll be able to clean some of those [misses] up."
After nearly half of an hour of uninterrupted Bulldog attacks, the Spartans' Diego Salinas recorded a shot on goal during a free kick, which helped kickstart a frantic final 10 minutes as Boardman tried to tie it up before the final whistle. Unfortunately for the home team, its attacks fell short each time.
"We played a good game," Spartans coach Erik Little said. "I just think that we really need to figure out the attacking third. That's kind of what we struggled with last year. We're trying to find different players in the right spots. There's a little bit of chopping and changing here in the second half. I might have found a good combination, but it's something we got to go to practice and really hone. We've been trying to figure out the attack, and that's the hardest part of soccer, is putting the ball in the back of the net."
Boardman (0-1) will attempt to earn its first win of the season on Thursday, when it hosts Cardinal Mooney.
"Meshing, gelling, getting these guys comfortable with where their teammates are gonna be, trusting each other," Little said of his early-season focus. "We got some new guys in the squad, we got some JV players who had to make the jump up from last year. So it's really building that trust, because the senior guys take things into their own hands, but they also need to understand that you gotta give up the ball to get it back. It can't be a one-man show, can't play hero ball. So that's something that we're working on."
Poland (1-1) begins Northeast 8 Conference (NE8) play with a road matchup with Hubbard on Thursday.
"We learned a lot of things [Saturday] that we can't do to be successful at this level," Garcar said. "I thought today was we played better defensively, we communicated a little bit more. I thought our passes were a little bit better. There's always things we can clean up, but I think today was a good progress monitor for us. And hopefully, it will be kind of a catapulting point for us moving forward."