MOUNT VERNON — In soccer, sometimes the winner depends on which team takes advantage of its chances.
The Mount Vernon Yellow Jackets saw their chances slip away on Tuesday, while Watkins Memorial took advantage of the few looks it had. The Warriors then held on for a 2-1 victory in Ohio Capital Conference play at Yellow Jacket Stadium.
Watkins scored its first goal after allowing several good chances by the Jackets, including a shot by co-captain Seth Badger that went just wide of the post.
In the 23rd minute, Watkins Memorial senior Max Nader took a pass in the zone and knocked it left of the Mount Vernon keeper. It was Watkins’ first shot on goal in the match, and it gave the team a 1-0 advantage.
The ball was controlled by Watkins for much of the rest of the match. Mount Vernon goalkeeper Daniel Baker saved a number of solid Watkins opportunities for much of the match. However, in the 70th minute, Nader again had a wide-open shot and took it, giving his team a 2-0 lead.
“Defensively, after that first goal, you could see most of the wind get knocked out of our sail,” said Mount Vernon head coach Scott Dapprich. “But, I thought we responded well after that.”
Mount Vernon rallied, pouring it on offensively for the final 10 minutes. Twice, Alex Glibert set up Badger for a shot that would go just wide. Finally, Aaron Nixon found the goal with :08 showing on the clock.
“We went to more of a longball, which we haven’t done too much,” said Dapprich. “With our formation that we had, it was making our guys run, and we were getting spent.”
Until they allowed the first goal, the Jackets (2-3-1) appeared to be controlling the match. The players won their one-on-one matchups and held on with good passing. The frustration mounted, however, after Watkins’ first goal.
It was after that second goal that Mount Vernon began to turn things around — albeit a bit late.
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