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Former conference rivals Tippecanoe Valley and Manchester met on the soccer pitch on
Tuesday evening, with both teams playing well in the early season. In a game that was closer than the final scoreline indicated, it was the Squires that picked up goals in the opening and final minutes of the game to secure a 2-0 victory at home.
Despite Tippecanoe Valley controlling the game for the first five minutes, it was the home team that ended up scoring the first goal of the evening. The Vikings spent a good portion of the opening minutes in Squire territory, but failed to convert the opportunity into any real chances. Their opponent had no such difficulties.
Manchester’s first chance of the game was a beauty, and it was all thanks to a phenomenal run by sophomore Landon Jackson. The forward beat a series of defenders before launching a cross into the box. It went off the hand of the keeper and landed perfectly on the head of Isaiah Acosta, who guided it into the back of the net for the early score.
That was the only action for quite some time, as after that opening goal, both sides settled into things a bit. It wasn’t until near the midway point of the first half that the Vikings nearly evened things up. A lazy pass by the backline was read perfectly by Damian Garcia, who swiped the ball and made a break for the net. The Squire defense reacted well though, and were able to snuff out his chance at the last possible second to preserve their lead.
Over the next stretch of play, Manchester had multiple great looks at the goal, but it was Valley goal keeper Francisco Brito who ended up making his mark on the game. The senior was fantastic despite being left out to dry by his defense a couple of times, coming up with save after save to keep it a one-goal game as the first half neared its conclusion.
Manchester sophomore goalie Noah Pinkerton makes a save in the first half as Valley senior Damian Garcia (10) follows his shot along with Manchester' sophomore Owen Vineyard...Nieter
He was able to do just that. Each side came awfully close to putting another shot into the back of the net in the final few minutes before the break, but neither was able to get the final touch necessary to do so. After a back-and-forth first 40 minutes, the Squires still held the 1-0 lead thanks to that early goal.
As the second half settled in, the home side was a lot closer to doubling their lead than their opponent was to tying things up. The Squires were on the offensive, and while the Vikings were doing a good enough job at preventing Manchester’s overwhelming possession advantage into shots on goal, it seemed as if the home side was just moments away from a backbreaking second goal. While the offense was struggling to possess the ball long enough to get a counterattack going, the Viking defense was doing a great job dealing with the constant pressure.
With about 15 minutes left in the game, Valley found a second wind as it desperately searched for an equalizer. All of a sudden, the visitors were now on the offensive and were throwing all caution to the wind. This was a tad dangerous, as it led to a handful of counter chances for the Squires. But, thanks to some more sensational work by the defense, it remained a 1-0 game with 10 minutes left.
But then, the Vikings caught an unfortunate break. Brito, who had been sensational up to this point, took his eye off the ball for a split second on a long Manchester shot. What should have been one of his easier saves of the night turned disastrous, as it dribbled off him and into the back of the net. Holding a 2-0 edge with time quickly running out, it looked as if Manchester had put the final nail into the coffin.
That was indeed the case. The visitors fought hard as they looked to get onto the board, but the Squire defense was able to hold on for the remainder of the game to secure the shutout.
Manchester (3-3) hosts Columbia City on Thursday, while Valley (2-3-1) is at Argos that same night.
