MT. VERNON — Rain-soaked fields from the afternoon storms did little to slow the pace of Thursday night’s match between Greenfield-Central and Mt. Vernon. From the very start, both teamstook to the field with blitzkrieg speed, setting the tone for the game as the county rivals battled it out on the muddy green.
Both teams ran hard, but one team managed to run harder, Greenfield-Central head coach Bobby Holden said. The Cougars earned the conference match win 1-0, driving Mt. Vernon to their first loss of the season.
Speed, aggression and powerful defensive pressure helped carry the Cougars through the game, Holden said.
“The boys came out with passion and heart,” Holden said. “Mt. Vernon is such a good team. We came into this knowing they were an undefeated team, and for our defense to come up with a shutout tonight, I’m so proud of them.”
As players from both teams staggered off the field with fatigue, some wringing the sweat out of their jerseys despite the cool evening, Holden commented how it was clear that everyone on the field gave everything they had.
“Both teams played incredibly fast today,” Holden said. “Our defenders showed me some speeds I haven’t seen all season. I think they learned to rise to the occasion.”
Mt. Vernon head coach Matt Mayhew agreed; the Marauders fought a well-matched foe that managed to catch them. Sometimes you just get out-played, he said.
“I did see a lot of fight,” Mayhew said. “I had guys that were coming off the field cramping and stuff, so I know they were giving me everything they could. It was one of those hard-fought battles that you don’t like to be on this end of it. ”
“But it was a great match to watch and to be a part of,” he added.
The Marauders sustained a few dramatic clashes throughout the first half. Mt. Vernon secured a strong presence near their opponent’s goal and kept the Cougars on their guard.
But Greenfield-Central’s speedy defense was relentless in their counters. The Cougars kept the Marauders at bay, pushing them outside the kill zone and seizing dominance of the ball. Cougars goalkeeper Abe Buescher — who clocked more than a dozen saves — said his defense played perfectly as a unit.
“My defense, they were rock-solid today,” Buescher said. “They were amazing.”
After halftime, Greenfield-Central went on the offensive as junior Zack Bell slide-kicked a precise shot to the corner of the goal, breaking the stalemate.
The Marauders were unable to answer with a score of their own, and the Cougars held on to the advantage until they ran down the clock, ending the match at 1-0.
Bell said that while they were able to gain the edge after his score, the game was a constant fight against a fearsome foe.
“They were keeping up with us, and at times we were keeping up with them,” Bell said. “But at the end of the day, we out-hustled them. We worked as a family.”
“And I love this family,” he added with a grin.
