JA sophomore Charlie Aurin (4) leaps for a front header against a pack of Bexley Lions on Saturday. Also pictured for Alder is Levi Honigford (43) giving assistance on the back end. (Journal-Tribune photo by Aleksei Pavloff)
Jonathan Alder’s boys varsity soccer team fell to the Bexley Lions Saturday in a Central District battle.
The Lions won the contest, 4-0.
“This is a challenging team for us to play,” said Pioneers head coach Craig Devine. “We are a young squad and we are developing our style.”
For a day with mostly sunny skies, it was a gloomy contest for the Pioneers, who saw themselves on the receiving end of a pressure-filled Lions attack. Early on in the match, around the 31-minute mark in the first half, Bexley took the lead after scoring one goal.
Nearly a minute later, Bexley increased its margin with another goal at the 30:04 mark.
“We didn’t play fast enough to their level,” Devine said. “My boys fought hard… we just need to keep on developing.”
For much of Saturday’s match, the ball stayed on Jonathan Alder’s side of the field.
The Lions dished out a volley of well-placed shots on goal. Some of that changed in latter part of the first half and into the second half as the Pioneers attempted to match their counterpart’s offensive attitude.
However, consistency was the key for the Lions as they continued to claw away at JA’s defensive capabilities.
The Lions added to their commanding lead with another goal scoring quickly in the 39-minute mark of the second half.
About 10 minutes later, Bexley sealed the win with its final goal.
In soccer, you can’t score if you don’t shoot. Bexley overtook the Pioneers when it came to shots on goal.
The Lions tallied 14 shots in the first half ,compared to JA’s one. The theme continued in the second half with the Lions shooting the ball 11 times versus JA’s two.
JA keeper Dom Dellapina kept busy as he recorded eight saves in the first half and another six in the second half — a save percentage of .78.
Bexley’s goalie took credit for two saves the entire match.
“We didn’t hold the ball enough,” Devine said. “We had a struggle keeping up with our attack.”
This wasn’t the first meeting for the two non-league opponents. According to Devine, with both programs competing in the Central District, Bexley and JA typically cross paths, especially in the post season.
“I try to get Bexley scheduled in the season so we can see what tournament competition will be like,” he said.
The Pioneers (4-6 overall, 3-2 in CBC) are scheduled to face off against the Urbana Hillclimbers (3-1-2 overall, 0-0-2 in CBC) at home today, starting at 5:30 p.m.