West Greene couldn’t get past University High’s stifling defense and suffered a 4-0 loss to the Junior Bucs on Tuesday night.
“It was a tough night for us and a lot of it stemmed from our lack of want tonight. It didn’t seem like we were interested in playing with them,” Buffaloes Head Coach Logan Minnick stated.
The first time both teams met the Buffs were able to pull out a 2-1 victory in overtime. They made the most of their opportunities with two goals while being held to only four shots on goal.
They’d face the same brick wall on defense, but couldn’t put any shots on goal this time around. University High completely shut down West Greene and held them scoreless without a single shot attempt.
Hunter Gregg stayed on his toes all game at the goalie position. A few great saves were made early to keep the Junior Bucs scoreless. Matt Roberts took a shot from outside the box that Gregg was able to save. Another close call would come moments later when Gregg blocked a shot from six feet out.
The first goal came in the 15th minute when Andrew Hutchinson sneaked one past Gregg to put UH on top. Matt Roberts added another goal four minutes later in the 19th minute to put the Buffs in a deeper hole halfway through the first.
They didn’t slow down and kept firing multiple shots at the goal. Abott Ashton pulled one from outside the box that Gregg had to slide to save.
University High held a steady 2-0 lead at the break.
Paul Gantley caught everybody off guard in the 51st minute with a shot off the crossbar that hit at the perfect angle and crossed the line for another goal.
The Junior Bucs weren’t finished scoring yet and added one more in the 56th minute to dash any hopes of a late-game comeback. Daniel Rojas delivered the final blow.
University High coasted to the finish and ran away with a 4-0 win to earn their first victory against District 1-A competition.
“We just need heart. On the field our individual defending needs to improve a bit,” Coach Minnick stated. “We just need to learn how to calm down and collectively work together better.”
Chuckey-Doak still stands tall above all with a 3-0 record within the conference. West Greene finishes up their district schedule with a 1-3 record. University High sits at 1-2 with a scheduled date against the Black Knights on Tuesday.
Both teams will meet again in the conference semis two weeks from now.
“It’s a young team and it’s a learning experience for them. We’re gonna play this team two weeks from now on this field so we certainly have something to look forward to,” Minnick expressed.
The Buffaloes will hit the road for their next contest against Morristown East on Thursday. Kickoff is set for 6:30.
