FINESSE OVER FOULS FUELS FISH
Astoria boys soccer coach Bill Patterson expected a physical battle with Scappoose Tuesday night and he was not disappointed.
The two teams combined for 25 fouls and a pair of yellow cards, but it was Astoria's continued development in the passing game that pleased the first-year coach the most. Well, that and the 2-1 final score.
After an early defensive lapse cost Astoria a goal in the fifth minute, Jair Macareno levelled the match by converting on a Sean Speer corner kick and Speer scored the game-winner off a free kick by Tomas Kallstrup early in the second half, sending the Fishermen to a 2-0 start to Cowapa League play.
Scappoose forward Brian Maloney got the Indians on the board when Astoria's inexperienced goalkeeper, Alex Reya, got caught out of position on a free kick. Reya, a junior, dodged a bullet moments earlier when he practically handed the ball to a Scappoose player in the goal box, but the Indians were unable to capitalize.
Reya may lack the 6-3 stature and range of injured junior Daniel Mathre, but he possesses a powerful leg on punts and goal kicks. That, and a resilient skull. During a sequence of four consecutive Scappoose corner kicks midway through the first half, Reya smacked his forehead on the left post while punching a ball over the crossbar. The collision of noggin and metal was hard enough to emit a clang audible to the entire assembled crowd. Reya went down on his back for a couple of minutes, but was able to remain in the game. The youngster deflected two more corner kick attempts to quell the Scappoose possession and was not seriously challenged the rest of the way.
"I didn't think he was getting back up," said Astoria head coach Bill Patterson. "To his credit he did. He shook off the mistake and played well from there."
Mathre is expected to be sidelined four to six weeks with a broken finger, suffered in a flag football game during P.E.
"Alex is really playing well," said Patterson. "He was a bit nervous last week in his first varsity game, but he's doing fine. He doesn't necessarily look like he can play, but he can play. He played well in the men's league last spring and he's proven his ability to play at the varsity level."
Scappoose would regret the earlier missed opportunity because their shots on goal would be limited the rest of the way by strong play from Astoria's flatback defense. The Fishermen outshot Scappoose 13-7 in the match, 9-2 in the first half.
With the match even at one apiece, Astoria opened the second half with an offensive flourish, getting a pair of deep runs to turn up the pressure. Five minutes in, Kallstrup took a free kick from near the Astoria dugout on the right side of the field and sent it into the middle of the 18-yard box where Speer was able to slip a shot just inside the left post for the decisive goal.
The teams each had five shots in the second half, but Scappoose's attack was limited to some longballs and shots from outside the 18-yard line that did not threaten the back of the net. Reya was credited with three saves, but did not have to exert himself much in the final 40 minutes as his defensive line did much of the work.
Junior forward Zach Norton came off the bench late in the second half to provide his usual spark. Norton had a spectacular collision at full speed with Scappoose sophomore defender Jacob Davison that sent Norton cartwheeling through the air in front of the Fishermen bench. Norton popped back up unscathed after the foul, while Davison limped off the field.
"Zach is the consummate bench player," said Patterson. "He could start for us. He looks like an energizer bunny sometimes. He's very energetic. He plays with a lot of heart. I'd like to have a hundred Zachs."
Scappoose was limited to one substitute for the match, which played into Astoria's ball-control strategy. However, a strong effort from junior goalkeeper Zach Shuman (seven saves, six in the first half) kept the Indians within striking distance to the final whistle.
"Our mantra is to try to have the other team chase us and wear them down," said Patterson. "That eventually worked in our favor tonight."
Near the end of the game, Kallstrup and Muir got in a minor dustup after the Danish exchange student tackled the Indians' senior defender from behind. Both were issued yellow cards. Astoria had 13 fouls to 12 for Scappoose.
The Fishermen, now 5-3 overall, head to Tillamook next Wednesday.
The two teams combined for 25 fouls and a pair of yellow cards, but it was Astoria's continued development in the passing game that pleased the first-year coach the most. Well, that and the 2-1 final score.
After an early defensive lapse cost Astoria a goal in the fifth minute, Jair Macareno levelled the match by converting on a Sean Speer corner kick and Speer scored the game-winner off a free kick by Tomas Kallstrup early in the second half, sending the Fishermen to a 2-0 start to Cowapa League play.
Scappoose forward Brian Maloney got the Indians on the board when Astoria's inexperienced goalkeeper, Alex Reya, got caught out of position on a free kick. Reya, a junior, dodged a bullet moments earlier when he practically handed the ball to a Scappoose player in the goal box, but the Indians were unable to capitalize.
Reya may lack the 6-3 stature and range of injured junior Daniel Mathre, but he possesses a powerful leg on punts and goal kicks. That, and a resilient skull. During a sequence of four consecutive Scappoose corner kicks midway through the first half, Reya smacked his forehead on the left post while punching a ball over the crossbar. The collision of noggin and metal was hard enough to emit a clang audible to the entire assembled crowd. Reya went down on his back for a couple of minutes, but was able to remain in the game. The youngster deflected two more corner kick attempts to quell the Scappoose possession and was not seriously challenged the rest of the way.
"I didn't think he was getting back up," said Astoria head coach Bill Patterson. "To his credit he did. He shook off the mistake and played well from there."
Mathre is expected to be sidelined four to six weeks with a broken finger, suffered in a flag football game during P.E.
"Alex is really playing well," said Patterson. "He was a bit nervous last week in his first varsity game, but he's doing fine. He doesn't necessarily look like he can play, but he can play. He played well in the men's league last spring and he's proven his ability to play at the varsity level."
Scappoose would regret the earlier missed opportunity because their shots on goal would be limited the rest of the way by strong play from Astoria's flatback defense. The Fishermen outshot Scappoose 13-7 in the match, 9-2 in the first half.
With the match even at one apiece, Astoria opened the second half with an offensive flourish, getting a pair of deep runs to turn up the pressure. Five minutes in, Kallstrup took a free kick from near the Astoria dugout on the right side of the field and sent it into the middle of the 18-yard box where Speer was able to slip a shot just inside the left post for the decisive goal.
The teams each had five shots in the second half, but Scappoose's attack was limited to some longballs and shots from outside the 18-yard line that did not threaten the back of the net. Reya was credited with three saves, but did not have to exert himself much in the final 40 minutes as his defensive line did much of the work.
Junior forward Zach Norton came off the bench late in the second half to provide his usual spark. Norton had a spectacular collision at full speed with Scappoose sophomore defender Jacob Davison that sent Norton cartwheeling through the air in front of the Fishermen bench. Norton popped back up unscathed after the foul, while Davison limped off the field.
"Zach is the consummate bench player," said Patterson. "He could start for us. He looks like an energizer bunny sometimes. He's very energetic. He plays with a lot of heart. I'd like to have a hundred Zachs."
Scappoose was limited to one substitute for the match, which played into Astoria's ball-control strategy. However, a strong effort from junior goalkeeper Zach Shuman (seven saves, six in the first half) kept the Indians within striking distance to the final whistle.
"Our mantra is to try to have the other team chase us and wear them down," said Patterson. "That eventually worked in our favor tonight."
Near the end of the game, Kallstrup and Muir got in a minor dustup after the Danish exchange student tackled the Indians' senior defender from behind. Both were issued yellow cards. Astoria had 13 fouls to 12 for Scappoose.
The Fishermen, now 5-3 overall, head to Tillamook next Wednesday.
posted by Matt Richert at 8:49 PM
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