Mon Feb 13 2012
By Colin Harris | Record-Courier staff writer
The only thing nearly two hours of delays did Tuesday night is delay the inevitable for Kent Roosevelt boys soccer.
After falling behind 1-0 near the end of the first half, lightning held up their Portage Trail Conference Metro Division contest with Southeast until what was a 5 p.m. start stretched into the evening hours.
Regardless of the game’s length in time, it still gave Southeast a piece of boys soccer school history as the first victory over the Rough Riders.
Kent Roosevelt has been the premier team of the PTC’s Metro Division since its inception, while the Pirates have slowly grown into a formidable force within the division.
The two teams crossed paths in a sense during Tuesday’s matchup.
After play resumed on Tuesday, there was little time for the Rough Riders to mount a comeback before one final storm forced officials to call the game and give the Pirates a critical 1-0 league victory.
“It is what it is today,” said Southeast head coach Kelly Olszak. “I know that, if it were the other way around, we’d have to (lose the game) as well.
“We’ll take a win over a great program like Kent Roosevelt any way we can get it, so the only thing that matters is we’re undefeated in league play.”
Southeast (4-0-1, 1-0-1 Metro Division) survived a pair of near goals by Roosevelt during the first half of play as Rough Riders attackers tested Southeast goalkeeper Joe Kinker with regularity.
Not one, but two Roosevelt shots went above the reach of Kinker only to deflect off the crossbar.
Good things come to the patient, however, and the Pirates took advantage of one of their only two shots on goal in the half when Greg Miller scored with 7:18 remaining to put the Pirates into the lead.
Miller’s goal was the first the Pirates had scored against a Roosevelt team during Olszak’s four years as the program’s coach.
The loss also marked the first Metro Division defeat for Roosevelt in over three seasons, as the Rough Riders have been perfect during their current run of three consecutive PTC Metro Division crowns.
In order for Roosevelt to get a shot on a fourth straight title, they will need to remain on the heels of Southeast, who appears primed to capture a championship.
Tuesday’s defeat was the Rough Riders’ first division loss of the year and with the second half of the season alive, anything could happen.
The game’s delays even forced the cancellation of the twilight Rough Rider-Pirate girls soccer match that was originally scheduled to be played under the lights.
Soccer is a game that will be played in practically any kind of weather, but similar to football, when lightning strikes, a mandatory 30-minute delay is enforced by the officials.
With each lightning strike, an new 30-minute delay is put in place for the safety of the players and fans.
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Contact Colin Harris at charris@recordpub.com or 330-298-1123
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