GARDINER — The Gardiner boys soccer team has an 8-1-0 record this fall, but head coach Nick Wallace believes his team is just starting to play its best game.
“I think we’re finally starting to play, offensively and defensively, as a group,” Wallace said.
In a back-and-forth battle, the Tigers made the most of their opportunities, scoring goals late in both the first and second halves, on the way to a 2-0 win over Mt. Abram in a Class B/C crossover at Hoch Field.
Brady Peacock and Chase Kanaris each scored for Gardiner, while Kian Alves added an assist. Sean Dunn made four saves to earn the shutout.
“We’ve been preparing all week for this (game),” Kanaris said. “I’m happy we can get out with a win and a shutout.”
It’s the fourth straight win for the Tigers, who have outscored opponents by an 18-1 margin in that stretch. The victory pushed Gardiner to the No. 1 seed in the Class B North standings.
“We’re starting to play team soccer,” Wallace said. “In the past, we’ve had some really good teams. But now we’re controlling the games more often.”
Mt. Abram, the defending Class C champion, fell to 5-3-0.
Both the Tigers and Roadrunners battled for possession throughout the match, particularly in the first half. Gardiner managed to catch the Mt. Abram defense off-guard with 26 seconds left in the first half, when Alves, battling with a Mt. Abram defender down the sideline, managed to cross the ball to Peacock, who knocked it into the net for the 1-0 lead.
“Scoring that goal right before halftime gave us momentum,” Wallace said. “I thought both teams played hard. It was a good, physical game, just like we expected.”
The Roadrunners managed to control the ball midway through the second half, but the Tigers pounced on another offensive opportunity when Kanaris booted a loose ball into the right corner of the net for the final 2-0 score.
“It was 0-0 (mentally) going into the second half,” Kanaris said. “Coach (Wallace) really put it into our heads that we need to come out on the (right) foot, and that’s what we did.”
Mt. Abram head coach Jason Wing was not pleased with his team’s performance against Gardiner. It was the second straight loss for the Roadrunners, who fell 3-1 to defending Class D champion Monmouth Academy on Monday.
“The effort was terrible,” Wing said. “We didn’t win any 50-50 balls and there was no sense of urgency.”
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