By Fred Kroner
Senior Clayton Gibson managed a goal and an assist on Friday (Sept. 24) as the Mahomet-Seymour soccer team fought to a 2-2 draw against Morton, the state’s fifth-ranked team.
The halftime score was 1-1.
Sam Henrichs had a goal and Titus Payne an assist for the Bulldogs.
Junior goalkeeper Zach Beyer had eight saves.
Morton is 8-2-2. M-S is 9-4-1.
“We had several changes to the lineup, with sickness and injuries, and the boys rose to the occasion,” M-S coach Jeremy Davis said. “Proud of the boys on this one.”
Davis added that Gibson’s performance was his “strongest game of the year against our strongest opponent to date.”
On Saturday (Sept. 25), the Bulldogs dropped a 3-2 decision to Gateway Legacy in their final match at the Chatham Glenwood Shootout.
Gibson and Henrichs had the M-S goals. Payne and Xavier Schmidt had assists. Beyer had a season-high 19 saves.
“Another really good game by the boys,” Davis said. “Gateway is an undefeated Academy team out of the St. Louis area, Missouri side. We fell behind twice but battled back twice. Unfortunately, Gateway was able to pull ahead in the final 10 to win the game.
“It was a solid game by the team playing against a team of fantastic individually skilled players. I witnessed more successful bicycle kicks in that one game than I have in the previous decade of high school soccer.”
For the weekend, the Bulldogs were 0-1-1, but Davis was not discouraged.
“In both games, the boys did a great job of playing as a unit and supporting each other,” he said. “Logan Alt and Zach Beyer stepped up big for the Bulldogs in the two games.
“Alt slid into a defensive role to cover for an injury and Beyer started in goal for a sick Keagon Ashby. Both played strong.
“Titus Payne and Sam Henrichs played exceptionally in the counter-attack for the Bulldogs. Payne played one of the prettiest one-touch redirected balls to a sprinting Sam Henrichs, who bodied his defender and put it hard past the keeper to pull the Bulldogs even at 2-2.
“All of our midfielders are coming off their strongest outings of the year. Clayton Gibson rose to the occasion in both games and was part of three of our four goals this weekend. He looked great.”
M-S is ready for the stretch run that will lead to the start of postseason play.
“We will need to keep improving our play this week as postseason seeding approaches in what will be the hardest regional complex in state, with four teams in the complex (not including us) who currently are in the top 16 in state,” Davis said. “Only two of the five of us will advance to the sectional round of 32 in three weeks.
The Bulldogs return to action on Monday (Sept. 27) at home against second-ranked and unbeaten Urbana.
