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10-25-2007 By ERIC AHLQVIST Editor Their opponent, defending T-V and Section Four champion Laurens, had yielded only four goals the entire season, and had shut the Patriots out in their previous two meetings, including a 2-0 win in the 2006 title game. "The one thing I can say about my team is that they have never hung their heads or given up all season," said CV-S boys coach Terri Adams. "I was worried when it was 3- 1, but I think our team still had confidence." That confidence was warranted, as Tri-Valley scoring leader Jason Guernsey scored three times in a 10-minute span, including the game-winner with just over five minutes remaining, as the Patriots won their first ever Tri-Valley title, 4-3. Guernsey started the rally with just over 20 minutes left when he beat a Laurens defender on the sideline, and attempted to cross the ball to the middle. The ball bounced off a Laurens defender's heel and into the goal to make the score 3-2. A few minutes later, Guernsey took a long pass from teammate Dylan Clements in the Laurens goalie box, and a Laurens defender was called for a foul on Guernsey, who made the ensuing penalty kick to knot the score at 3-3. In the first half, Laurens' Jesse Campbell missed a penalty kick, and injured his knee pursuing the carom off of CVS goalie Anthony Brant. Campbell missed the rest of the game, and could miss sectionals for the Leopards, the top seed. Guernsey put the final touch on his amazing day with just over five minutes remaining, when he stole the ball from a Laurens defender, and beat Leopards' goalie Aaron Laing with a low shot to the right corner of the net. "It's a great win for us, but I was just really impressed with the high level of play by both teams for 90 minutes," Adams said. "It was an intense, physical game and both teams played great soccer. That's all you can ask in a championship game." The Patriots, 16-1-1 and the second seed in the Section Four Class D tournament, host seventh seed Roxbury (11-5-2) on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. "I'm glad we had that bye so we can recover physically and emotionally," Adams said. "This win should give us a lot of confidence." Laurens, 13-1-1, hosts the winner of the Milford-Edmeston game on Saturday. |
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