St. Xavier shut out the Manual Boy’s soccer team 2-0 on Thursday night. The Crimsons had multiple scoring chances in the game, but could not get a goal across.
Lucas Gibson (11,#2) said the Manual team was too passive throughout the game.
“We have to attack more, we can’t treat them (the other team) like they’re better than us,” Gibson said. “We just got to play more loose, play more aggressive and just attack the goal to score.”
Manual gave up the first goal in the 31st minute, when the Tigers scored off of a free kick that was just outside of the penalty box.
“The game was really two different halves,” Joel George (11,#89) said. “The first half we played very well, about as well as St. X. Certainly the goal that was given up was unfortunate off of the free kick. In the second half, after the red card, I think we played really well to try to come back.”
Early in the second half Colin Barker (12) was accessed a red card and was ejected from the match, which forced Manual to play with ten players instead of the normal eleven.
“They are a good team and if you play a man down that makes it that much tougher,” Manual head coach Bob Ramsey said.
“After the red card it was hectic; it was wild,” Gibson said. “Everyone was kicking the ball around; there was no organization. With ten men we really stuck it out, we kept it going, we didn’t let the game get away from us; we gave it our all; but we just have to bring more. St. X just wanted it a little bit more than us tonight.”
In the 69th minute, St. X added a second goal after an attack that resulted in a Tiger attack that was slowed down with two saves by goalkeeper Andrew Hagan (11,#1); before the Tigers were able to score.
“The second goal was a result of us pushing up the ball up the field to get a goal to try to come back,” George said. “The result was that it opened up the defense which allowed the goal. Our offense just never got going.”
The loss drops was only Manual’s second of the season, and now hold a record of 9-2-1.
“We played an average game for us,” Ramsey said. “We need to improve the basics of soccer; get back to passing, better tackling and better communication.”
Manual’s next game is on the road against South Oldham on Thursday, September 25 at 7:30pm.
