John Bruce, Contributor
KINNIKINNICK — 13 miles separate Zane Trace and Logan Elm’s school districts. However on Wednesday night, three quick minutes was all that separated the two on the soccer pitch.
In a doubleheader, the Pioneers’ boys edged Logan Elm by a 3-1 final while the girls tied, 1-1.
Here’s a breakdown of each contest.
BOYS: Zane Trace 3, Logan Elm 1
Colby Swain came off the bench to score two goals in a three-minute span in the second half to lead the Pioneers (2-0) to a 3-1 victory over the visiting Braves.
Throughout the first half of Wednesday’s meeting, the Pioneers controlled all aspects of the contest, except the scoreboard.
Zane Trace was unsuccessful in their attacks at the Logan Elm (1-1-0) goal until Camden Larson found the strings on a cross from Ethan Nelson with 8:45 to play. Nelson weaved his way through multiple defenders on the left side of the box and found a streaking Larson just outside the six-yard box for his first goal of his senior season.
A large portion of the Pioneers’ dominance was due to the outstanding defensive play of Kaden Howard and Jeremiah Wooten, while they also got strong midfield play from sophomores Nelson and Keagan Smith. The young midfielders constantly moved the ball in positive situations for attacking players and, even though they were unsuccessful in scoring, you could sense the Braves’ defense was about to break.
Halfway through the second half, that break occurred thanks in part to Swain’s effort, size, and speed. On nearly identical plays, Swain gathered a loose ball, outmuscled his defender, and beat the keeper in the far corner to give the Pioneers an insurmountable 3-0 lead.
ZT goalkeeper Andrew Ramsey was outstanding in his role again.
The senior only notched four saves on the night, but was aggressive in cutting off all cross attempts by the Braves to limit their chances at the goal while displaying outstanding leadership and energy from the goal box all evening long.
The Braves got on the board with a late goal by sophomore Rider Stant. Goalkeeper Braden Sabine played very well in goal for the Braves and finished with eight saves.
NOTES: ZT has started the season 2-0 after winning only 5 games a season ago … the Pioneers started 7 seniors on the night, while the Braves 9 sophomores … the Pioneers will be back in action Thursday when they visit New Hope in Circleville.
SCORING
1st Half
8:45 — (ZT) Camden Larson (Ethan Nelson)
2nd Half
24:43 — (ZT) Colby Swain (unassisted)
21:47 — (ZT) Swain (unassisted)
3:01 — (LE) Rider Stant
STATBOOK
Shots — Zane Trace 17, Logan Elm 6
Shots on Goal — Zane Trace 11, Logan Elm 5
Saves — Zane Trace 4 (Ramsey 4), Logan Elm 8 (Sabine 8)
Fouls — Zane Trace 3, Logan Elm 1
Corners Won — Zane Trace 2, Logan Elm 1
GIRLS: Zane Trace 1, Logan Elm 1
In a back-and-forth matchup, sometimes it takes just one bad break to swing the final outcome of the game.
After Zane Trace’s Haynna Addy scored on an unassisted goal with 33:31 remaining in regulation, momentum seemed to be swinging in the Pioneers’ direction.
CREDIT: Ruth Boll
However, in soccer, it’s said that the next three minutes after a goal is scored are the most dangerous for the scoring team. That saying was technically incorrect Wednesday, but it was a mere four minutes later when the Braves (0-1-1) tied the game on a penalty kick.
Logan Elm earned the penalty kick after an unfortunate trip in the box. Riley Schultz changed the lights on the scoreboard with a crisp shot to the right side of the net.
Statistically, the contest was an extremely even game and it played out on the field the same way. Both teams hit the crossbar in the first half and the game was only not tied for a total of four minutes and 11 seconds. Senior goalkeeper Lily Clark was outstanding for the Pioneers with 10 saves, including a diving save with less than two minutes remaining, maintaining the draw.
The Addy sisters (Haynna and Savannah) made a major impact throughout the game with their blazing speed and outstanding instincts, while Brianna Fetters and Alexis Guffey routinely kept possession for the Pioneers in the midfield, keeping the attack alive throughout the evening.
Zane Trace’s schedule doesn’t get any easier as it travels to Lynchburg-Clay on Saturday.
Wednesday’s result should be a positive step forward for the young Pioneers as they look to make marked improvements in each outing.
SCORING
2nd Half
33:31 — Haynna Addy (unassisted)
29:20 — Riley Schultz (penalty kick)
STATBOOK
Shots — Zane Trace 16, Logan Elm 14
Shots on Goal — Zane Trace 11, Logan Elm 10
Saves — Zane Trace 10 (Clark 10), Logan Elm 10
Fouls — Zane Trace 5, Logan Elm 8
Corners Won — Zane Trace 5, Logan Elm 2