By Jeremy McDonald
jeremymcdonald73@gmail.com
SILVERTON, Ore.– Silverton had to turn to their defense during the final forty minutes of their 3-0 5A State Opening win over Ridgeview Wednesday night.
Their offense in the first half handed the squad a 2-0 lead going into halftime, thanks to goals from Carlos Flores (eighth minute) and Isaac Lawson (24th minute). The Ravens however, came out in the second half winning the battle in the midfield to pressure the Foxes backline and Brady Mykisen in net, looking for an opportunity to mount a comeback.
But Silverton rose to the occasion. They showed their adaptability in changing their formation mid-half to adjust to the demands of the moment and succeeded.
“I think (Ridgeview) made some really good adjustments at halftime and they came out fired up trying to get a couple of goals back on us,” Foxes Head Coach Marty Limbird starts. “They really dominated the midfield in the second half and we were chasing a little more than I’d like, so we beefed up our midfield. Played another player in that midfield role to try to counter that.”
The strategy held. Each Ridgeview play was met by either a Mykisen stop or a rushed shot by the Ravens for much of the half. It was a confidence builder going into their next game against top-seed La Salle Prep.
“That half meant the most to us because we’re looking at the next game and we needed to end this last game at home with a little bit of confidence going into it,” Mykisen said. “I think we played really well. They brought it to the second half, which I think we were ready for and we turned it around and secured the win.”
Bjourn Domst gave Silverton a collective sigh of relief in the 78th when he took advantage of an opening in the Ridgeview defense to push Silverton’s lead to three. Scoring when needed it the most in a mentally tough second half.
“When you get one on the board you can take a deep breath. We were still playing that game, we were still in that mindset but you can take a nice deep breath in the middle of the game. It feels really good,” Mykisen said of the goal. “If we can keep our mental state sharp like we did tonight and play through the whole, entire 80 minutes…no matter who we face and we keep that same mentality, if we keep that same mentality we’ll dominate.”
Photos By Jeremy McDonald
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