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Andover vs. Andover Central Soccer (Photo by Adam Knapp / September 19, 2012) |
Overtime had just started, and the ball was set down 30 yards from Andover Central’s goal for a free kick. Andover High’s Jacob Loflin had just one question for the referee.
“Can I shoot it?” he whispered.
The referee said he could. And Loflin sure did, nailing his kick above the head of Jaguars goalkeeper Chad Brown to end the game, a 2-1 Trojans victory.
If you understand just how much the Trojans work on setting up plays in situations like that, instead of trying a direct shot, you might understand why Loflin was a little unsure about what he was allowed to do.
“Jacob, being a player, sometimes takes things into his own hands,” Andover coach Chris Lemons said. “I understand that. I can yell stuff from the sidelines but they’re playing the game. They can see things that I can’t. I’ve got to give it to him to being that quick-witted and that smart and that fast and to have the confidence to do that.”
It was Loflin’s goal off a 12-yard penalty kick with 19 minutes left in regulation that tied the game at 1. Those were Loflin’s first two goals of the season, and he helped the Trojans improve to 5-2.
“That was definitely our best win, by far,” Loflin said. “We just wanted it more.”
That’s because Andover Central has had Andover’s number over the years. And in the first 40 minutes, it looked as if the Jaguars would keep the crosstown rivalry a lopsided one.
“They dominated the first half,” Loflin said. “They had possession more, they passed the ball better, they took more shots …”
Andover, actually, didn’t take any shots the first half. The Trojans looked overwhelmed and couldn’t get a clean, uncontested shot off.
Meanwhile, the Jaguars scored with 4:20 left in the first half, a Matt Hamm header off Andrew Annett’s corner kick assist. They went into halftime with a 1-0 lead, but somehow it felt larger.
“We were having no problems at all,” first-year Jaguars coach Jamie Harding said. “I didn’t need to pick them up, they were ready to go. We were keeping possession the entire first half. The object is to make the other team chase the ball, which is what we did. We may have been gotten a little overconfident.”
Which is a strange way for a winless team to feel, but that’s how dominant a half it was for Central. Someone who didn’t know any better would have guessed the Jaguars were the 5-2 team playing an 0-6 opponent.
“That’s the way we all felt,” Harding said. “From the bench all the way out to the field.”
Until the second half, which was a completely different story. The Trojans took control, particularly at midfield, and began finding all the openings.
“We were having lapses and at the same time they were going at us,” Harding said. “When a team’s behind, they’ve got to fight more. They got momentum. We’ve got to fight to stay on top. They became more aggressive. … We’ve got things to work on all over the field. And I’ve got to take it upon myself as a coach to get us to work a little harder.”
Lemons, who has a relationship with Harding through soccer and like Harding has played for the Wichita Wings, said he hates to see Central struggling.
“I’ve got all the respect in the world for Jamie as a coach and as a friend, as well as his team and his players,” Lemons said. “I feel bad for their team. They got the bad end of it tonight. But I’m really excited for my boys, because they’re been working hard and they deserve it.”
“Can I shoot it?” he whispered.
The referee said he could. And Loflin sure did, nailing his kick above the head of Jaguars goalkeeper Chad Brown to end the game, a 2-1 Trojans victory.
If you understand just how much the Trojans work on setting up plays in situations like that, instead of trying a direct shot, you might understand why Loflin was a little unsure about what he was allowed to do.
“Jacob, being a player, sometimes takes things into his own hands,” Andover coach Chris Lemons said. “I understand that. I can yell stuff from the sidelines but they’re playing the game. They can see things that I can’t. I’ve got to give it to him to being that quick-witted and that smart and that fast and to have the confidence to do that.”
It was Loflin’s goal off a 12-yard penalty kick with 19 minutes left in regulation that tied the game at 1. Those were Loflin’s first two goals of the season, and he helped the Trojans improve to 5-2.
“That was definitely our best win, by far,” Loflin said. “We just wanted it more.”
That’s because Andover Central has had Andover’s number over the years. And in the first 40 minutes, it looked as if the Jaguars would keep the crosstown rivalry a lopsided one.
“They dominated the first half,” Loflin said. “They had possession more, they passed the ball better, they took more shots …”
Andover, actually, didn’t take any shots the first half. The Trojans looked overwhelmed and couldn’t get a clean, uncontested shot off.
Meanwhile, the Jaguars scored with 4:20 left in the first half, a Matt Hamm header off Andrew Annett’s corner kick assist. They went into halftime with a 1-0 lead, but somehow it felt larger.
“We were having no problems at all,” first-year Jaguars coach Jamie Harding said. “I didn’t need to pick them up, they were ready to go. We were keeping possession the entire first half. The object is to make the other team chase the ball, which is what we did. We may have been gotten a little overconfident.”
Which is a strange way for a winless team to feel, but that’s how dominant a half it was for Central. Someone who didn’t know any better would have guessed the Jaguars were the 5-2 team playing an 0-6 opponent.
“That’s the way we all felt,” Harding said. “From the bench all the way out to the field.”
Until the second half, which was a completely different story. The Trojans took control, particularly at midfield, and began finding all the openings.
“We were having lapses and at the same time they were going at us,” Harding said. “When a team’s behind, they’ve got to fight more. They got momentum. We’ve got to fight to stay on top. They became more aggressive. … We’ve got things to work on all over the field. And I’ve got to take it upon myself as a coach to get us to work a little harder.”
Lemons, who has a relationship with Harding through soccer and like Harding has played for the Wichita Wings, said he hates to see Central struggling.
“I’ve got all the respect in the world for Jamie as a coach and as a friend, as well as his team and his players,” Lemons said. “I feel bad for their team. They got the bad end of it tonight. But I’m really excited for my boys, because they’re been working hard and they deserve it.”
