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| Will Bates was sensational at midfield for Thomas Dale. |
Thomas
Dale is not as good as last year??s two-time state champion. Everyone
involved with the boys soccer team would admit that.
But
if the Knights continue to play similar to how they did in a 5-0
victory over Prince George Thursday evening, TD will be a tough out for
anyone around.
Dale
(6-0 Central, 8-0) was aggressive from the first whistle. TD was
whippet quick in back and near the Royals?? goal. The Knights held the
ball like their life depended on it, and played most of the game in
Prince George??s territory.
It all equaled quick scoring and put a lot of doubt in the minds of the Royals early.
??The problem is that they??ve developed such a reputation,? Royals coach Tom Harrison
said of the Knights, ranked first in the DigitalSports Top 10 and sixth
in the United States by the National Soccer Coaches Association/adidas
(www.nscaa.com). ??You make a mistake, they capitalize on it.?
Only seven minutes into the contest, Patrick Innes fought off a Royal near the corner and beat goalkeeper A.J. Ricci to the right of the net for a 1-0 lead.
Then in the 24th minute, Dustin Heling found Innes on a breakaway that the junior midfielder deposited in the net for a 2-0 advantage.
Innes
must have been trying to make up for lost time. Thursday was his first
game of the season after recovering from an ankle injury.
??I
felt really good,? Innes said. ??We knocked the ball around very well. I
think this was by far our best performance of this year.?
In the next 13:00, TD scored two more goals; one on a strong finish by Heling, and the other a rebound putback by Shawn Van Decker after Ricci made a beautiful save on Will Bates?? header.
??We??re
trying to keep our defense strong,? said Heling, who would add another
goal 10 minutes into the second half for the final margin. The Knights
have yet to yield a goal this season. ??Once we get the ball we??re
trying to attack.?
Thomas Dale coach Mark Fowler liked what he witnessed.
??I??m happy that we started to hold the ball,? Fowler said. ??I??m very pleased. They??re starting to come together, which is nice.?
Not so nice for the rest of the Central Region. |
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