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Bison trimmed by Rams
Thursday, September 20, 2012
By Jon Christoff Sports Writer
HYDE - A football's shape is what makes it take funny bounces. A soccer ball, on the other hand, is supposed to bounce true.
Unfortunately for the Clearfield boys soccer team, it didn't bounce its direction on Wednesday night at the Bison Sports Complex.
Whether it was the Bison still learning the ropes on the new surface or just a lucky break for Penns Valley, the result was the same - a 2-1 win for the Rams.
"It was just a lucky bounce," said Clearfield interim head coach Todd Trinidad. "This turf has a different bounce than the other fields and we're getting used to playing on both. It's an adjustment every time we play.
"We've had a handful of games and we've only had a handful of practices on the turf. We try to mix it up between grass and the turf, and it is a lot different playing. The bounce is a lot different."
A free kick off the foot of Penns Valley's Andrew Deardorff took an ill-fated bounce for the Bison and keeper Keith Biancuzzo, who came out to make a play on it.
Deardorff's boot, which came from 55-yards out, bounce high over the on-charging Biancuzzo and the Rams' Seth Cooke got just enough on it to get it passed the end line for the game-winner.
The Bison's physical play prove costly three minutes after Spencer Herrington knotted the game at 1, and Deardorff set the ball in motion from just across midfield.
The ball hit right around the 18, where Biancuzzo attempted to make the play, but it took a fortuitous bounce for the visitors and that was the difference in the contest.
"The kids played a great game," Trinidad said. "They moved the ball around, but a lucky bounce was the difference tonight. Our guys played hard, but they just got a little bit tired. They were moving the ball around. It was just an unlucky draw and you're down a goal. It's tough."
After a scoreless first half, where neither team was able to get a high quality look at the net, the Rams were the first to crack the board in the 48th minute.
Gustavo Garcia got the Rams ahead by going top shelf from the left-side of the field, but the Bison only faced a deficit for six-minutes-plus when Herrington baffled the Penns Valley defense.
Herrington gained possession around the 20, weaved through the Ram defense and deposited the ball in the back of the net past the outstretched hands of goalie Frank Randazzo.
"(Spencer's) a great player," Trinidad said. "He knows the game and has great ball skills. We decided to push him up a little bit to get him more offense, and he came through for us. It was a good effort."
Herrington's push deep into the Rams' half of the field wasn't a rarity for the Bison, who had several other golden opportunities in the contest to get on the board.
With the game still scoreless, Clearfield advanced inside the 18 and had a lot of traffic in front of Randazzo.
Luckily for the Penns Valley keeper, there was so much confusion that a shot at a wide-open net didn't happen and the Rams were able to clear the zone.
Clearfield's Jack Soult also had a free kick with just over a minute to play, but the ball sailed wide-right of the frame.
"We were trying hard," said Trinidad. "We wanted to fill the box, get some guys in there, and get some shots off. We got a few, but the ball bounces around in there and there were a lot of people in there."
The Bison (1-5) return to action on Tuesday when they host Philipsburg-Osceola.
Penns Valley 2, Clearfield 1
Scoring Summary
Second Half
1. Gustavo Garcia, PV, (unassisted), 47:52.
2. Spencer Herrington, C, (unassisted), 54:03.
3. Seth Cooke, PV, (Andrew Deardorff), 57:08.
Shots: Penns Valley 9, Clearfield 6.
Saves: Penns Valley (Frank Randazzo) 4, Clearfield (Keith Biancuzzo) 7.
Corners: Penns Valley 1, Clearfield 2.
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