NEW PALESTINE — Right from the opening whistle, New Palestine put the pressure on.
With conference foe New Castle visiting, the Dragons took control of the game immediately, keeping the Trojans on their heels and putting in two first-half goals, the first coming when Zach Martin found the top right corner of the net from well outside the box, scoring off an assist from Samuel Bravo.
That’s all New Palestine would need.
The Dragons kept the pressure going following Martin’s goal, leading to a 3-0 home conference win Tuesday.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]Click here to purchase photos from this gallery
“I thought we possessed the ball well,” New Palestine coach Justin Sass said. “We took our chances — something we haven’t been doing lately in the final third, so it was good to see us getting some shots, getting into the final third and still keeping possession. I’m really proud of the boys.
“I feel like right from the moment the whistle blew tonight, we just brought it. We brought some serious intensity tonight and we never let up the whole game.”
The first half belonged to New Palestine (3-4-1, 2-1 Hoosier Heritage Conference). The Dragons maintained possession in the attacking end, piling up six shots on goal while allowing just one from New Castle (5-3-1, 0-3) in the first 15 minutes.
The Dragons had over a dozen shots in the half, allowing just four from the Trojans.
That early attack led to several scoring chances for the hosts, with forward Josh Smith picking up the best of them. Six minutes in, Smith dribbled past the defense and found space in the box, only to sail the shot a few feet over the net. He had another good look in the 12th minute, from dead center at the top of the box, only for New Castle keeper Andrew Glover to make the save.
Smith was briefly taken out of the game minutes later following a yellow card, but that didn’t slow the Dragons attack.
“When you press a team right from the start, sometimes they just sit in and try to withstand the pressure,” Sass said. “Our main focus the past two weeks has really been keeping possession in the attacking half, trying to move the ball. I think the boys just looked good.”
A perfect through pass by the visitors late in the first half left Jackson Malott alone in the box with New Palestine’s senior keeper Adam Hunt. Hunt made a diving save on Malott’s shot, preserving the home team’s lead just before they doubled it.
With two minutes left in the half, Bravo picked up his second assist of the game on a corner when Jon Moore headed the ball past Glover, doubling the Dragons’ lead.
The teams traded possession most of the second half, with the Trojans having a chance to get back into the game with 17 minutes remaining. A great first touch and pass left Malott one-on-one with Hunt again, but his shot went wide.
It was one of just a few shots on goal the Trojans would send Hunt’s way. The keeper earned the shutout with a big assist from a patchwork defense in front of him.
“It was good for Adam tonight,” Sass said. “He wasn’t having to come up with save after save. He likes that at times, but it was good to see.”
“We’re dealing with injuries in the back line,” he added. “We started a forward and a midfielder in the backline. They did really well. We’re really focusing on communication in the back line, supporting each other.”
Capping off the scoring for the Dragons was freshman Garrett Canova, who picked up his first varsity goal with 12 minutes remaining, pushing the New Palestine lead to 3-0 and effectively putting the game away.
After going winless in five straight games, New Palestine has now won two in a row and sits at 2-1 in the conference.
The Dragons are starting to find a rhythm and find some success, just in time for some tough conference competition.
“I keep telling the boys to keep the foot on the gas pedal,” Sass said. “We’re thrilled. We’d love to keep it going. It’s going to be an absolute tough one on Thursday. Shelbyville is good. Hopefully we can continue the momentum we have from tonight on Thursday.”