By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – Bloomington South, ranked No.10 in Class 3A, did not have more players on the field than allowed. It just seemed that way. There was always an open man for a pinpoint pass, always multiple defenders to swarm when Bedford North Lawrence managed to briefly control the ball.
Owen Williams was the Star with the most touches. He’s the goalie, and that’s not a good sign when his fingerprints are that prominent.
The Panthers played keep-away ball control to perfection, dominating possession and converting three goals in each half while conquering the Stars 6-0 on Tuesday night. South (2-0-2) blasted 22 shots, and nine of those hit the side posts or cross bar. Williams stopped nine others. But he couldn’t stop them all.
South scored three times in the first 10 minutes, setting the tone. BNL, looking to control penetration defensively and counter attack when possible, managed only two shots. The Panthers were content, and quite able, to probe until opportunity arose.
“That’s where we hang our hat,” South coach Jake Kabrick said. “We have a lot of guys that are really good on the ball, but we don’t necessarily have that much pace. We want to have the ball at our feet. When you can spread it out and move the ball quickly, that’s our bread and butter.“
South struck at 35:46 when Miles Melick converted a free kick from just outside the penalty box. Nathan Orth added the second goal when he settled a pass and fired into the left corner of the net at 32:12, and Max Serafin-Odle scooped a loose ball in front for a goal at 29:47.
“Our starters came out and set the pace, that’s their job,” Kabrick said. “It’s whoever is setting that tone.”
In the second half, South produced goals by Ruben Morales (a loose ball at 31:13), Andrew Wiley (penalty kick at 14:15) and Oliver Doraci (a rebound after Giles Painter’s blast cracked off the right side post at 10:50).
BNL’s defensive posture kept the Stars in chase mode. South was a step ahead.
”Our goal was to conserve as best we could, and get out the back,” BNL coach Reeve Arce said. “Owen was under fire. In the Floyd game, we didn’t communicate well and mark up. We worked on that very hard, and they took those principals into this game.
”We’re proud of these guys. They’re young and taking on a different style of soccer.”
The Stars (2-2) will visit Barr-Reeve on Thursday.
