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KINNIKINNICK — It took Zane Trace a good while to break into the scoring column on Wednesday.
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
But once the Pioneers proverbially shooed the monkey off their backs, it was all gas, no breaks.
Led by a furious attack up top — one paced by Rece Allen and Ivan Chavez — Zane Trace was dominant in a 5-1 win over Westfall.
Still undefeated, the Pioneers (3-0) have reason to believe that showings like Wednesday’s are becoming habitual.
“We’ve been really pushing intensity and mental toughness this year,” Zane Trace coach Matt Ott said. “We’ve had three keys we’ve been preaching since July and that’s focus, determination and intensity. We lacked that a bit last year, especially in big games. So we’ve been trying to change our mindsets and get motivated. So far, so good.”
An Allen or a Chavez scored each of the Pioneers’ goals. But the team’s defense was as strong as it’s been all season long, a unit led by Jordan Harrington, Landon Robinson and keeper Judah Hanks.
PHOTOS: Images from Zane Trace’s win over Westfall
While the Mustangs (1-2-1) did manage to find the back of the net once, they were also held to just six shots on goal.
“We played out of the back really well,” Ott said. “Jordan is just so confident on the ball, which is rare for a high school center back. He doesn’t hesitate to take that extra touch and play it out wide. Landon has been working on that, too. Having both of them is just great. Then you’ve got Judah, our final line of the defense. We’ve always got a chance with him. I’m pretty happy with our defense, but there’s still work to do.”
At the 12:54 left in the first half, Rece Allen broke the scoreless tie with a score off a feed from Ivan Chavez. Then, with 5:26 to go, Rece’s brother, Gavyn, made it a 2-0 game with a score of his own.
Chavez picked up where the Allen brothers left off in the second half, scoring with 38:38 remaining for a 3-0 tally. At the 24:56 mark, Ivan’s brother, Marco, played add-on for a 4-0 score.
Westfall’s only goal came with 21:16 remaining, thanks to defender Gabe Cox, who found himself in the right place at the right time. But Gavyn Allen quickly answered with his second goal of the night, producing the 5-1 final.
“They push each other a lot,” Ott said of the Allen and Chavez brothers. “They motivate each other during the games. It’s a lot of fun to watch. They’ve been playing together for a long time and they still push each other. It’s just a lot of fun to coach them.”
Statistically, Zane Trace fired 14 shots on goal and took nine corners while being whistled for six fouls. The Mustangs added three corners to their six shots on target and had three fouls.
Westfall will now try and bounce back on Thursday, hosting Fairfield. Next up for the Pioneers is a date at Jackson on Tuesday — a game that should have a significant impact on the Division II tournament seedings.
“Possession. Keeping possession,” Ott said. “There were moments throughout tonight where we started to have good buildup and then one pass makes us lose it and it’s going the other way. So we definitely have to maintain possession and keep it simple. We have to be positive when we can and keep possession. That’s something we’ll be pushing.”
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