November 4, 2004

 

Senior Duncan Silvert-Noftle pushing the ball upfield during the Bulldogs’ win in the Division III district title game. Silvert-Noftle scored 2 goals in the game.

Bulldogs win district title

By Lauren Heaton

The YSHS boys soccer team won the Division III Dayton 2 district title for the second year in a row, with an easy 5–1 victory over the Greenview Rams last Thursday.

Regional semis postponed
The Bulldogs’ regional semifinal game against Dayton Christian, originally scheduled for Nov. 2, was postponed due to rainstorms. The game was played Nov. 3, after the News went to print this week.
If the Bulldogs won, they advanced to the Div. III regional finals Saturday, Nov. 6, 7 p.m., at West Carrollton High School, against the winner of Cincinnati Madeira/Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy. Win that game and the ‘Dogs play in the state semis Tuesday, Nov. 9, 7 p.m., at Dublin Scioto High School. The state finals are scheduled for Friday, Nov. 12, 3 p.m., at Crew Stadium in Columbus.

With the win, the Bulldogs moved on to play Dayton Christian in the regional semifinals on Tuesday. The Bulldogs, ranked sixth in the state, came into the game having given up just 1 goal in their last 11 games, and they were loathe to give up more to the Rams, who were ranked ninth.

Senior striker Duncan Silvert-Noftle got the Bulldogs on the board just five minutes into the game. He positioned himself in the right place at the right time and headed in a pass from senior midfielder Nic Huneck.

The early goal set the tone for the evening, and the Bulldogs spent the rest of the first half driving everything to Greene-view’s goal. Senior striker Noah Woodburn and junior striker Ben Armstrong assisted each other on back-to-back goals to give the ’Dogs a 3–0 lead. This was followed by a great sliding save by goalie John Pamplin, who had 5 saves overall.

Not quite comfortable with their strong but not irreversible lead, the Bulldogs continued to control the ball, lofting shot after shot until another header by Silvert-Noftle, off a pass from junior fullback David Suzel, put YSHS up 4–0 at the half.

The Bulldogs had 10 shots on goal during the game’s first 45 minutes.

A yellow card for a frustrated Ram early in the second half distracted Greeneview long enough for Armstrong to slip in one more goal on a pass from Suzel to give the home team a gaping 5–0 lead.

The Rams got their first and only goal of the night on a free kick that sailed in the top of the Bulldog goal. The Rams were seeded second in the Dayton 2 bracket just behind Yellow Springs, who beat them 2–0 at the beginning of the season. Still, coach Jim Hardman said he was surprised the Bulldogs won by such a wide margin.

“This team’s senior group had been coasting a little, they never went 100 percent during the regular season,” Hardman said. “But they turn it on when they need to, and they’ve really stepped it up for tournament.” The Bulldogs are now 15–2–1. The three freshmen starters make the team young, but this year’s seniors remember last year’s regional loss in the finals to Cincinnati Madeira.

“We’ve been playing well, and this group of seniors really believe and feel this is their year,” Hardman said. “It’s the end of their high school career, and they want to go out with a flourish.”

At the end of the Saturday’s game, the Bulldogs huddled up and voiced their goal for this year. “Aaah, one, two, three, State,” they shouted.