The Lansing boys’ soccer team got two goals by Chris Rathjen in a span of less than 10 minutes in the first half, and with a stifling defense they made it stand up in a 2-0 victory at Blue Valley Southwest on Tuesday night.
“The other team was a good team,” Lansing head coach Randy Brown said. “They had some good players, especially a guy named Parker Redford, a center-midfielder, but Garrett Hinckley and Alex Buehler did a great job shutting down their midfield. ... And our defense was playing a lot better. If we had played like that on Friday, we would’ve had a decisive win.”
Lansing (1-0-1) showed their improvement early on, scoring first with about 17 minutes left in the first half when Ryan Dillon sent a through ball down the right side to a sprinting Rathjen, who pulled up from approximately 23 yards away and got it inside the near post.
The Timberwolves committed a foul in the box to set up Lansing’s second goal on a penalty kick in the 32nd minute. A series of combinations got the ball into the clear for Andy Ericks, who took one dribble to set up a shot but was taken out from behind in a desperation attempt by Southwest. Rathjen took the ensuing penalty kick, and he capitalized to make it 2-0.
“We had some great combinations occurring...” Brown said. “We were controlling play, we were making passes, and we were doing the things that we needed to do.”
The game was delayed briefly in the second half due to lightning, but the Lions’ defense never missed a beat as they maintained the shutout.
“Our defense played superbly,” Brown said. “We were keeping the pressure on and keeping it difficult for them to get it towards the goal. ... It was a great defensive effort by our team.”
Brown also said goalkeeper Nate Runyon played well, not only in goal in the first half but in the midfield following the intermission, while Briscoe Elliott finished off the shutout in goal in the second half. He and Runyon combined to make four saves.
Lansing will hit the road for another non-league game this evening (Thursday), when they play at DeSoto. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m.
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The Lansing boys’ soccer team got two goals by Chris Rathjen in a span of less than 10 minutes in the first half, and with a stifling defense they made it stand up in a 2-0 victory at Blue Valley Southwest on Tuesday night.
“The other team was a good team,” Lansing head coach Randy Brown said. “They had some good players, especially a guy named Parker Redford, a center-midfielder, but Garrett Hinckley and Alex Buehler did a great job shutting down their midfield. ... And our defense was playing a lot better. If we had played like that on Friday, we would’ve had a decisive win.”
Lansing (1-0-1) showed their improvement early on, scoring first with about 17 minutes left in the first half when Ryan Dillon sent a through ball down the right side to a sprinting Rathjen, who pulled up from approximately 23 yards away and got it inside the near post.
The Timberwolves committed a foul in the box to set up Lansing’s second goal on a penalty kick in the 32nd minute. A series of combinations got the ball into the clear for Andy Ericks, who took one dribble to set up a shot but was taken out from behind in a desperation attempt by Southwest. Rathjen took the ensuing penalty kick, and he capitalized to make it 2-0.
“We had some great combinations occurring...” Brown said. “We were controlling play, we were making passes, and we were doing the things that we needed to do.”
The game was delayed briefly in the second half due to lightning, but the Lions’ defense never missed a beat as they maintained the shutout.
“Our defense played superbly,” Brown said. “We were keeping the pressure on and keeping it difficult for them to get it towards the goal. ... It was a great defensive effort by our team.”
Brown also said goalkeeper Nate Runyon played well, not only in goal in the first half but in the midfield following the intermission, while Briscoe Elliott finished off the shutout in goal in the second half. He and Runyon combined to make four saves.
Lansing will hit the road for another non-league game this evening (Thursday), when they play at DeSoto. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m.
