McCracken County boys soccer got back to .500 on the year with a 3-1 win over Paducah Tilghman on Tuesday night. The Mustangs gained a two-goal lead within 10 minutes, and a last-minute Tilghman goal negated the shutout in the district matchup.
“I thought we came out well, we moved the ball well, and we created chances well,” McCracken head coach Mike Wiersema said after the game. “We didn’t necessarily finish well, but I felt like the starters played a decent game.”
As mentioned, it took no time for the Mustangs to get accustomed to Jetton Field, as they were able to punch in two goals within the first 10 minutes of action, both in the same fashion.
After a shot on goal from the Mustangs that was saved by Tilghman keeper Nolan Black, Kaden McKenzie came in and punched it in off the rebound to break the deadlock. Just a few minutes later, Eli Riley found himself in a similar situation, when the Mustangs got a shot on goal, and he was in the right place at the right time, tapping it in for the second goal of the game.
Fast forward to 15 minutes left in the match, Maks Hazel drilled a free kick over the defense, the ball tailing into the right side of the net, extending McCracken’s lead to three.
“That was pretty nice, he was due,” Coach Wiersema said.
In the final seconds of the game, Tilghman was finally able to find the back of the net, as sophomore Abraham Diaz navigated through the defense and snuck one in past the goalie to get his team on the board, with the final ending at 3-1.
Besides the late slips, Coach Wiersema praised both goalkeepers Braxton Freeman and Omarii Thomas for their work during this contest.
“Both goalkeepers are strong, and they did a great job of commanding their back line,” Wiersema said. “They really gave Tilghman very few looks.”
McCracken has the chance to clinch the first seed in the district with a win over Marshall County on Thursday. In their last meeting, the Marshals were able to take home the 1-0 win, but this time around on their home turf, the Mustangs are hoping to even the score.
“We got a chance to get the top seed and already be in the region tournament, so that’s what we want,” Wiersema said. “We’re playing at home, and we need to go out, take care of business, and get that number one seed.”
Now 6-4-1 on the year, Tilghman will look to regroup on Thursday, when they hit the road to take on the Eagles from Graves County.