NEW BETHLEHEM — Notching a double varsity shutout, the Redbank Valley soccer teams swept visiting Brookville Tuesday.
In the opener, the Bulldogs blanked the Raiders 4-0 while the Lady Bulldogs finished the night with a 3-0 shutout.
In the boys’ game, the Bulldogs’ Kaden Sturgeon headed in a pass from Kieran Fricko, Brayder Perez Godinez grinded through a busy box to find the net and Grant Shoemaker scored off a Caleb Root assist for a 3-0 lead in the first half while Root converted a penalty kick to set the final with 18:50 left in the second half.
The Raiders’ best scoring chance came in the second half when Oryn Vander Kelen’s direct kick at the top of the box about 25 yards out hit the cross bar.
The loss dropped the Raiders to 6-9-1.
“It was one of our worst games of the year, quite frankly,” Raiders head coach Dave Reitz said. “What it boiled down to is that they wanted to be on the ball and won every 50/50 ball in the first half, so the first half came down to that and who wanted the ball more.
“We did not want to stay with our mark and we looked like we didn’t get off the bus tonight. Full credit to (Redbank Valley), however, they wanted to be on the ball and they moved around well.”
The Raiders host St. Marys Thursday at 7 p.m. before closing out the regular-season schedule at DuBois Central Catholic next Tuesday.
“If we’re going to lay an egg, I want it to be tonight and not two weeks,” said Reitz, referring to the Class 2A playoffs.
In the second game, the Lady Bulldogs’ Lia Hageter scored a goal in each off of the girls’ game, starting the scoring off an assist from Mylee Harmon at 33:03 in the first half, then taking a long pass from Avery Ortz and setting the final with 16:26 remaining in the second half. In between, it was Ava Moore cleaning up off a scrum in front of the net following a direct kick rebound with 14:54 left before intermission for a 2-0 lead.
The Lady Bulldogs improved to 13-2 with their fifth straight win, which includes last Thursday’s 2-1 win over Karns City. That was the team’s first-ever win over the longtime D9 power, ending an 0-61 streak since the program began back in 1997.
Brookville, now 7-8, had some chances, but nothing from close range that tested Lady Bulldogs goalkeeper Carly Neiswonger.
“We did have all the opportunities and had some good ones,” Lady Raiders head coach Shawn Castellan said. “I would’ve liked to see them a little bit closer. At the half, I said we needed to start shooting, not at the 30, but at the 20 and inside the 18, so let’s test the goalie.
“I think we controlled the ball in the second half and had possession, but had some unlucky breakdowns and that happens.”
Like the boys, the Lady Raiders host St. Marys Thursday at 5 p.m. before visiting Deer Lakes to close out the regular season Saturday at noon.
The Lady Raiders will play in the Class 1A bracket in the D9 playoffs.
In other games:
SATURDAY, Oct. 6
Lady Raiders 6,
Maplewood 0
At home against the District 10 Tigers, the Lady Raiders stopped a two-game shutout losing streak with a shutout win.
The Lady Raiders jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first half and got goals from three different players and an own goal from the Maplewood defense. Ally Wilson and Kaida Yoder both scored twice and Casey Riley added a goal. Wilson and Addison Patton both had two assists with Yoder adding one.
Izzy Schrecengost earned her second shutout win in the net as winning goalkeeper.
THURSDAY, Oct. 3
Brookville, Brockway split
On the turf in Brockway, both games were 1-0 wins as the Raiders and Lady Rovers got the victories.
For the Raiders, it was Austin Brosius’ long-range shot from 36 yards with 2:32 left in the first half that won it.
Earlier in the first half, Raiders goalkeeper Gannon McMaster stopped a Rovers penalty kick.
The win completed the Raiders’ first season sweep of the Rovers since 2008. They beat the Rovers, 4-2, at home back on Sept. 9.
In the girls’ game, Rheanna Spinda scored the game’s only goal for the Lady Rovers.
