Warriors can't find net in loss to Miamisburg

If a shooter’s psyche is fragile, then right now the Lebanon High boys soccer team’s collective mind set is made of glass.

After scoring 11 goals in their opening two games, the Warriors have managed to score just twice since, including no goals in a 1-0 loss to Miamisburg on Tuesday, Sept. 15.

The loss was Lebanon’s sixth in a row and put them in a hole in Greater Western Ohio Conference South Division play at 0-1-0 (2-6-0 overall).

“We’ve still got a lot of soccer to play,” Lebanon coach Steve Poitinger said. “The kids are hurting right now because they expected to win the league and now that’s in jeopardy. But, it could still happen. Who knows? Maybe now that some of the pressure is off, we’ll play better and run the table.”

The Warriors controlled every facet of the game against Miamisburg except the scoreboard.

The Vikings got their lone goal early when Ian Mullins fired a 25-yard shot into the upper right corner just two minutes into the game.

From there, the Warriors pushed the ball into the Viking end and peppered goalkeeper Cody Kalbfleisch with shots.

Lebanon had 23 shots on goal and over 10 “good” scoring chances. But, shots sailed wide, just over the crossbar and in two instances, hit the crossbar.

Tyler Brun hit the crossbar twice, but he wasn’t the only one to just miss. Paul Gamber, Hayden Menshouse, Nate Wagner, Jacob Kresslein and Josh Cook all had great looks at the goal but failed to convert.

“We’re just in a scoring funk,” Poitinger said. “We work on it in practice, and we’re doing a great job creating opportunities, but then we do something crazy with the ball.

“We controlled everything but the scoreboard. We changed fields well, we possessed the ball, we played attractive soccer, we just didn’t finish. Give Miamisburg credit, they defended well with the lead. They put nine guys behind the ball and made us go get them, and we couldn’t convert.”

The Vikings (2-4-2) were thrilled with the victory.

“It’s a big win for us,” Viking coach Rick Campbell said. “Lebanon has a good ball club, they put pressure on us the whole game. We were able to bend, but didn’t break.”

Contact this reporter at (513) 696-4526 or shayes@coxohio.com.

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