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Crawfordsville snaps Northview's winning streak at three games
Northview’s boys soccer team is not in the business of celebrating moral victories, and that didn’t change after dropping a 2-1 nailbiter to Crawfordsville on Saturday.
But it did indicate that the Knights are on the right track, said head coach JP Arvin afterwards.
“I know I’ve said this a few times, but progress rarely comes in a straight line. Teams in our past would have folded today. This is the team that gave us our worst loss of the year, 7-0. They’re good. But today, we were within a whisker of tying this thing up. They didn’t quit and battled back to get within one,” said Arvin. “There are no good losses, but there is progress, and I think the program feels like we’re still moving in the right direction.”
It was apparent early on in the afternoon that last year’s seven-goal loss wasn’t going to be in the cards for the hosts this time around as they kept the Athenians off the scoreboard in the first half.
However, a 47-second sequence right after halftime was what ultimately cost the Knights, the Northview coaching staff pointed out.
After Crawfordsville scored less than four minutes into the second half to jump in front, Arvin and Northview assistant coach Kevin Strahla noticed a dejected look come across the faces of those wearing the maroon kits on Saturday.
The Athenians, and especially Jaziel Gil-Herrera, didn’t feel sorry for the Knights and remained on the attack. It led to the junior midfielder finding the back of the net less than one minute after he was slapping Matt Miller on the back for breaking the scoreless tie with his goal.
And while surrendering two goals in a short amount of time proved to be costly, Arvin also said it served as the team’s wakeup call.
“You can’t let one loss become two. You can’t become so demoralized after losing one game and then go and lose the next one. You can’t be so demoralized from one goal being scored on you that you give up a second one,” said Arvin. “But at the same time, that second one, I felt like that was almost a slap in the face. It was like a wakeup call that we’ve been preaching to them. That’s when they really started playing. The last 15 minutes, we got back on the attack and had them on their heels. So, yes, it was a mistake the way we let that second one in, but it also was our slap in the face that served as a wakeup call.”
That wakeup call got Northview locked back in.
The Knights found an extra pep in their step, which included goal keeper Bobby Styck who did everything he could to keep his team in the fight. The senior standout recorded numerous saves to ensure the Athenians wouldn’t run away and hide, something he’s consistently done throughout his career.
“He about gave me a heart attack a few times when he left [the box] and came out, but it’s why his nickname on the team is Spiderman. He’s as quick as a hiccup. He always keeps us in games and did it again today,” said Arvin of Styck.
Keeping Crawfordsville from finding the back of the net for 79:13 allowed Northview’s offense to take some shots at Athenian keeper Alex Saidian. And at the 14:27 mark, the Knights broke through when Tanner Hayes, who has grown more comfortable in his role as the season has progressed, zipped the ball past Saidian to slice the deficit in half.
“I overheard one of their coaches more than one time yelling to his back line, ‘Stop trying to get in a foot race with No. 11,’” said Arvin of Hayes. “The amount of work that young man has put in is [showing]. When he got to us, his footwork was raw. Now, if he needs to get that easy first touch or if he needs to get a touch on a dead run, he can put that ball five yards out. His footwork has gone through the roof. I have not seen anybody make such progress with their footwork in such a small period of time.”
Northview came close to scoring the equalizing goal in the waning minutes of the afternoon but wasn’t able to find nylon to push the game into overtime, snapping its three-game winning streak. Despite that, Arvin said he felt good about the week his group put together – even considering Saturday’s loss – and liked the way things were rounding into form with just three regular season games to go.
“I’m very happy with the direction, the cohesiveness, the camaraderie. We’re going to be a tough out this year,” Arvin said. “I’m excited about that.”
Crawfordsville 2, Northview 1
Crawfordsville 0 2 – 2
Northview 0 1 – 1
Cv – Matt Miller, 36:37 2H
Cv – Jaziel Gil-Herrera, 35:50 2H
Nv – Tanner Hayes, 14:27 2H
Next – Northview (5-6) hosts Cascade Wednesday. Crawfordsville (4-4-2) hosts McCutcheon Monday.