McClain played host to Jackson in boys and girls Frontier Athletic Conference (FAC) soccer action. The Lady Tigers took on the the Lady Ironmen in the first game of the evening and lost by a final score of 2 – 0. The boys team took on the Ironmen in the second game and also lost by a score of 3 – 0.
The Lady Tigers played an excellent defensive game allowing only two goals.
The first goal for the Lady Ironmen came with 30:25 remaining in the first half as the McClain defense allowed a Jackson player to get a clean run on the ball and deposit it in the back of the net.
Following the goal the Lady Tigers began to execute their defensive game plan more cohesively as they held Jackson scoreless for the rest of the half.
On the offensive side of the ball McClain was unable to muster a solid offensive attack and headed to half time trailing by a score of 1 – 0.
The second half of the game was a further display of the defense of the Lady Tigers. They came out of half time with renewed energy and focus.
The Lady Ironmen seemed to be taken aback by the McClain defense in the second half and were unable to score for more than 30 minutes.
At the 9:25 mark of the second half the Lady Ironmen were able to get past the staunch Lady Tigers defense and score again to provide the final margin of victory.
Lady Tigers head coach Shawn Peterman was pleased with the effort of his girls and said, “I can live with the 2 – 0 loss. We have had them come up and beat us way worse before. What we did do better today was play a compact defense and limit their runs as well as bringing our press up higher to force multiple offside calls.”
The McClain boys did not fair any better against the Ironmen allowing a goal less than five minutes into the game.
The Tigers played with tremendous effort in the game matching the physicality of the Jackson team.
However, McClain was unable to match the Jackson scoring prowess and had little answer for them on defense.
The Ironmen added a second goal at the 5:32 mark of the first half and took a 2 – 0 lead into half time.
The Tigers were much more aggressive in the second half as they pressured the Ironmen relentlessly.
A defensive lapse with 33:29 left in the game by the Tigers allowed the Ironmen to score again and provide the final margin of victory.
McClain head coach Nick McNeil said after the game, “Skill wise I think we are doing just fine. We have to be more aggressive on the attacking end in the box. That is where i saw the main difference tonight.”
Both teams will be back in action on Saturday when they travel to take on Logan Elm in non-conference action.
Reach Ryan Applegate at 937-402-2572, or on Twitter @RCApplegate89.
