Junction City nets three goals in second half in 4-0 win
OSAA / U.S. Bank / Les Schwab Tires 3A Boys Final
November 16, 2002 at West Salem High School, Salem, Oregon
(Click on any match photo for a larger (up to 300K) version of each pic)

GOALS
4' - Junction City: Eric Richards (Micah Mooney)
46' - Junction City: Micah Mooney (Michael Zemba)
54' - Junction City: Micah Mooney (unassisted)
63' - Junction City: Ross Eshleman (Ty Harden)

After an early Junction City goal by Eric Richards gave the Tigers a 1-0 halftime lead, the defending champions broke the match wide open in the second half as they hit the net three times in a 4-0 rout of the Wilsonville Wildcats in the in the title game of the OSAA / U.S. Bank / Les Schwab Tires 3A Boys Final. Micah Mooney would add two second half goals, and Ross Eshleman had a goal for the Tigers as well.

On the attack from the opening whistle, Junction City had a good opportunity just three minutes in when a flick-on header from a Wilsonville defender only managed to deflect it to the feet of a charging Michael Zemba, who had a good look at net from 10 yards out but hit the shot just wide left. But one minute later, the Tigers didn't let the opportunity pass by when a cross from Micah Mooney to the feet of Eric Richards gave the Tigers midfielder a good look from 15 yards out, and Richards put the shot into the left side of the net, and the Tigers had erupted to an early 1-0 lead.

Two minutes later, the Tigers had a chance to double their lead, but Ty Harden's shot from 25 yards out slide just wide to the left. In the 21st minute, the Wildcats had their first good opportunity when Scottie Hand's shot from 25 yards out went barely a yard over the bar. Three minutes later, the Tigers once again were threatening to score when a cross from AJ Chapin looked ready to be knocked in by Mooney, but he was unable to get his foot on the ball as he attempted to slide into the patch of the cross.

The best span of the match for the Wildcats was over the next ten minutes of the match. In the 29th minute, Wilsonville attempted to take a few shots from outside the box, but shots by Hand and then Nick Yavorsky were collected easily by Tigers goalkeeper Kyle Adams. Three minutes later, off a Wildcats free kick, a cross into the box from Shase Rustrum towards the far post appeared to be in a dangerous position as Chris Cudahy made a run on the ball, but he has unable to get his foot on the cross. On a quick counterattack, Junction City's Zemba found himself in alone against Wilsonville goalkeeper Grant Farr, and Farr made got his hands on the shot, deflecting it just wide.

The Tigers had grabbed the momentum again, and just after the ensuing Tigers corner kick, defender Jon Lund hit a seemingly innocent shot from well outside the box, but the ball curled in and deflected off the left post before going out of bounds. The Tigers quickly had the ball back though, and one minute later, Zemba nearly chipped the Wildcats goalkeeper from 20 yards out, with Farr having to reach back as he jumped to keep the ball out of the net, and the half ended with the Tigers having dominated most of the run of play, but holding only a 1-0 lead.

It took less than six minutes for the Tigers to make their statement in the second half, when a cross from Zemba to Mooney allowed the Junction City midfielder to turn on the ball near the top of the box, and as he hit a perfectly placed shot into the left side of the net, the Tigers had a 2-0 lead. The Wildcats did their best to respond four minutes later, when a cross from Yavorsky to Connor Willis at the far post looked dangerous, but it was just beyond the Wilsonville midfielder's reach.

Four minutes later, the defending champions found the net again when a shot came in from the right side by Tigers midfielder Jon Kellerman. Farr saved the initial shot, but was unable to control the ball, and Mooney jumped on the rebound and knocked it home to give the Tigers a 3-0 lead.

In the 56th minute, the Wildcats had a good chance to at least break the shutout when Hand's shot from 30 yards out was only kept out of the net by an off-balance jumping save by Adams. But in the 63rd minute, the Tigers put the final emphasis on the win when a cross from Harden was knocked in by Ross Eshleman, who slid into the cross to put his foot on it, knocking it into the left side of the net past the sprawling Wilsonville keeper. It was the final goal in the match as the Junction City Tigers ran their overall winning streak to 29 matches, and held the trophy high for a second straight year as state 3A champions.






Match report and all photos by Allison Andrews

Back to the Soccer City USA main page