Rams pour on offense against Eagles
PROTECTED CONTENT
If you’re a current subscriber, log in below. If you would like to subscribe, please click the subscribe tab above.
Username and Password Help
Please enter your email and we will send you a password reset link.
BATTLE FOR THE BALL — Mt. Vernon’s Keaton Koch fights for possession against Vienna/Goreville on Saturday.
Sentinel Photo/PAUL HINES
MAKING THE PASS — Mt. Vernon’s Mason Fleming passes the ball Saturday against Vienna/Goreville.
Sentinel Photo/PAUL HINES
By PAUL HINES
phines@morningsentinel.com
MT. VERNON — A slow start ended with a stellar finish Saturday for the Rams soccer team.
Vienna/Goreville grabbed a 2-0 lead with the aid of a Rams own goal 10 minutes into the match. Mt. Vernon flipped the score around and won 5-2 with five straight goals.
“About every game this season, we have a rough start,” Mt. Vernon assistant coach Jeremiah Fitzjerrells said. “We usually have to get knocked down for us to respond. Going down 2-0 that early and us being able to respond like that. That showed a lot of good character and a lot out of the team.”
Keegan Oathout ended with a hat trick to lead the Rams offense. Brodie Phillips and Keaton Koch also scored.
Mt. Vernon dug a multiple goal deficit minutes into the match. The Eagles’ leading scorer Orion Hoak struck six minutes into the contest. The score was Hoak’s 17th of the season. Four minutes later the Eagles lead doubled when Ashton Wagner attempted to pass the ball back to Rams goalie Jesse Beever. The ball found an open net, and Vienna/Goreville led 2-0.
The Rams found their footing and managed to create their own offensive chances as the half wore along. Oathout got a goal back midway through the half. Oathout followed up a rebound on a Phillips shot to cut the deficit to 2-1. Phillips then found Oathout on a through ball pass for the tying score with about 12 minutes left in the half.
The two teams entered the halftime break tied, but the Rams dominated the final half of action. Mt. Vernon consistently peppered shots at Eagles goalie Chase Helm. He finished with seven saves.
“It really looked a lot more finished today,” Fitzjerrells said. “Our passes were a lot better. We’re playing a lot simpler, and we weren’t just kicking the ball in the air. We were actually finding the ball on the ground with guys making runs.”
Koch made sure the Rams offense got going immediately to start the final half. He scored from a tight angle on the left side of the goal. The shot came less than two minutes after the halftime restart and gave the Rams a slender 3-2 lead.
The Rams never trailed again and added to their advantage. Oathout scored again at the 33:22 mark. Mt. Vernon passed the ball around in the middle of the penalty area. Jack Laughlin found Oathout who knocked a shot past Helm.
Mt. Vernon protected its two-goal lead until Oathout finished off his hat trick in the closing minutes. He took a cross from Phillips and finished the pass off with a score.
In the other net, Beever was able to consistently deny the Eagles as the game moved along. He ended with six saves. A pair came on a double save late in the game. Hoak fired back-to-back shots at Beever with 12 minutes left in the match.
Beever saved both attempts. A rebound fell to Chayse Davitz, but his shot cracked off the crossbar.
“Our goalkeeper had an unbelievable game,” Fitzjerrells said. “He made the right decisions running out for the most part, and he’s finally got his confidence.”
Mt. Vernon improved to 3-5 overall this season while Vienna/Goreville dropped to 4-4.
