NEW ALBANY – Flush and repeat was the message New Albany High School soccer coach Josh Dickman had for his team on Monday night after the Bulldogs beat Jennings County 7-0.
The Bulldogs drove to victory in the opener of the Class 3A New Albany Sectional, and Dickman told the team to bring the same focus and determination to the field against Columbus East on Wednesday.
“I have the feeling that we are at our peak at the right moment. We played a much tougher schedule this year to get ready for the tournament and I think that’s what you’re seeing, ”said Dickman. “The guys play hard, they play for each other and they play together and when that happens we’ll be really hard to beat.”
The shot on goal started early when Finnegan Railey beat the Jennings County keeper with a penalty. At 16:04 in the first half, Gus Dickman made the Bulldogs 2-0, ending a series of actions in which New Albany stretched Jennings County’s defense with superb passing and control.
New Albany defender Mehari Milton controls the ball in the second half of the Bulldogs 7-0 win over Jennings County on Monday.
Less than a minute before the end of the first half, Max Hanen hit the net to give New Albany a 3-0 lead at break.
The lead quickly grew to 4-0 at the beginning of the second half after Railey’s second goal of the competition. The runner-up scored for the third time in the game with 23:42 before the end of the game and turned a shot past the goalkeeper to 5-0 for New Albany.
Dickman’s second goal came from a penalty shoot-out with 21:06 to play, and Nathaniel Higbie scored the final goal of the game with 7:54 remaining in the section play.
Startkeeper Quincy Rainey made some nice saves and Zach Fleming replaced him late in the game to combine for the shutout. As good as Monday’s offense was, Dickman said the Bulldogs across the field were equally impressive.
“The defensive players played fantastic. We asked them to tighten their grades a little, take some space and lock it up, ”said Dickman.
Justin Spurgeon wins possession for New Albany in the first half of the Bulldogs section win on Monday at Green Valley Elementary School.
New Albany (9-5-3) will face Columbus East (11-3-1) in the section semi-finals on Wednesday at 5 p.m. at Green Valley Elementary School. The Bulldogs fell 5-0 to Columbus East on September 25, but Dickman said the team were confident they can turn the tide on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, Floyd Central meets Seymour in the New Albany Sectional at 5 p.m. and Columbus North at 7:15 p.m. Jeffersonville
In another action on Monday, Providence defeated Lanesville 3-0 to advance in Class 1A Trinity Lutheran Sectional in Seymour.
