A hundred minutes not enough

Wednesday, September 27, 2006

One hundred minutes of play was not enough to produce a winner in a Southeast Kansas League soccer match between Fort Scott High and Coffeyville at Ellis Park Tuesday evening.

Chris Brown's fifth goal of the season during the 67th minute of regulation play leveled the scores at 1-1 and the remaining 13 minutes plus two 10-minute overtime periods could not produce a winner.

As if that weren't enough, the junior varsity contest, shortened to 40 minutes due to the length of the varsity game, also ended in a 1-1 tie.

"Last year, we had PK's," Fort Scott head coach David Gray said. "We'd go to penalty kicks in order to break the tie. Everyone seemed to like it. I don't know why they stopped doing it. Nobody wants a tie."

Coffeyville scored first despite the fact that Fort Scott, 2-3-1 in the SEK and 3-5-1 overall, was pushing the ball better over the first 20 minutes. Michael Frazier put in the goal for the Golden Tornado, 1-2-1, 2-6-1, at 23 minutes. Coffeyville didn't even get its first shot away until the 10th minute.

Fort Scott took 15 shots in the first half but only five of them went directly on goal.

"We work on shooting every day," Gray said. "I tell them to keep the shots low and they keep skying over the top of the net. That gives the other team the ball and there's not much you can do with it. If you keep it low, you have a shot at a rebound or something. But there were way too many missed opportunities."

Brown's goal came after Brady Johnson won a loose ball and passed upfield, where Brown moved around a defender and found himself one-on-one with Coffeyville's goalie, Juan Ortiz. With plenty of time to set up the shot, Brown took it down and just to Ortiz's left for the goal.

Each team had several chances to put the game away in regulation. Fort Scott goalkeeper Jake Grant had to make deflections and fingertip saves in the 70th and 74th minutes and also knocked away a chip shot by Frazier in the 19th minute of overtime.

"(Grant) played a really good game today," Gray said. "He gets better every game. I'm impressed with what he's doing. I wasn't too sure about our goalkeeping at the beginning of the season but he's steadily improving all the time."

Ortiz, who is normally Coffeyville's JV goalie but has to play varsity because the starter has suffered two concussions in 10 days, also had to make clutch saves, including one on Chris McAllister in the 8th minute of OT.

"Sometimes, maybe we dribble too much when a nice pass would work," Gray noted. "It takes too long to get the shot off and someone gets in your face."

Fort Scott finished with seven of its 26 total shots going on goal. Coffeyville saw 11 of 18 shots go on goal. Grant finished with 10 saves while Ortiz had six.

JUNIOR VARSITY -- Barry Park put the Tigers ahead with a header in the third minute of play but Coffeyville tied it on a goal by Cass Head in the 32nd minute.

Goalkeeper Brad Parsons made four saves in the shortened game for Fort Scott.

The Tiger varsity and JV teams will host Bishop Miege in non-league action Thursday at 4:30 at Ellis Park. The varsity plays first followed by the JV at about 6:15.

NOTES -- Fort Scott finished second in the Coffeyville Tornado Tournament Saturday. The Tigers won the first game over Columbus, 4-0, as Kevin Gray scored two goals and Brown and Stephen Buntain each had one.

Fort Scott lost the championship game to Independence, 3-0....

Gray also has five goals on the season....