Penns Valley boys take Central in Mountain League showdown

By Kenny Varner Jr.
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Updated: September 24, 2020

9/23/20

Central at Penns Valley

Final:
Penns Valley 2
Central 0

Goals:

Penns Valley – Michael Johnson 42:42

Penns Valley – Jack O’Donald – assist: Aidan Culver 61:07

Shots:
Penns Valley – 17
Central – 3

Saves:
Central – Zeb Wyant 2
Penns Valley – Dristen Wolfe 2

Wednesday, the Penns Valley boys soccer team banded together and took care of Central in a Mountain League showdown, posting a 2-0 shut out.

“It wasn’t pretty, but it was another critical W for us,” said Rams Head Coach Ken Gore. “We had a streak going the wrong way last week and we’ve totally flipped it around this week to get back to .500.”

Gore pointed out that the first 40 minutes of the game for PV on it’s senior night were flat, frustrating, and frankly, horrendous. “We flat out sucked and I clearly pointed that out to my guys!” he said.

But a stern and emphatic halftime “chat” from Coach Gore and a mindset of urgency and motivation from Penns Valley incredible senior leadership (Zach Heckman, Michael Johnson, Connor Martz, Caleb Narber, and Dristen Wolfe) turned the second 40 minutes into an intelligent and controlled game of possession and continual attacking on Central’s half of the pitch.

Just 3 minutes into the 2nd half Michael Johnson collected a wandering rebound from a right-side corner kick and ripped it into the back of the net through a large crowd of defenders. At that point, Penns Valley was set and motivated to control the rest of the match. Central mounted a few spirited attacks, but the Rams defense (Kyle Niewinski, Alex King, and Alex McFeely) handled each one with smart and physical resistance.

In the 62nd minute the Rams struck the final blow when Jack O’Donald finished a low and hard deflecting shot off a Central defender and into the left side of the goal.
Aidan Culver’s quick footwork and precision passing set up the hit and the Rams midfield and defense commanded the last 18 minutes of the match for the decisive victory.

Penns Valley will have its work cut out the week of 9/28with key matches on the road at Clearfield and Huntingdon.

Record: 2-2

Next game: Penns Valley @ Clearfield, Monday 9/28 6:00 pm