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Bears edge out Maquoketa, stay unbeaten
by Matthew Dickinson, sports editor · Sports · April 10, 2024
After a slow start, the West Branch boys’ soccer team shook off some rust and opened conference play with a tight 2-1 road win over Maquoketa Monday night.
The Bears had been idle against other teams since a March 30 triangular, as inclement weather pushed back an April 1 home match against Tipton to April 16 and canceled an April 2 road contest against Wapello.
“Not having a game for a week and a half, being inside quite a few times, it all added up to how we played tonight,” Bears Head Coach Ted Miller said. “Just a little off, but not so far off that it cost us our game.”
West Branch started the match with some timely offensive attacks while weathering a Maquoketa offense that controlled the ball well and put pressure on the Bears’ strong defense. The Cardinals nearly had the first goal after seven minutes following a free kick and corner opportunity but could not cash in. West Branch responded with a shot each from Reese Gingerich, Cameron Gingerich, and Christian Scire from the nine-to-10 minute mark.
After a brief lull, Cameron Gingerich had a pair of quality shots that just missed the mark at 16 and 20 minutes. Maquoketa settled in and put together some good possessions that did not result in shots, while Cale Seydel kept the Cardinals’ defense honest with a shot from long range.
Forward Joe Hamann, who had been largely taken out of the match for most of the first half, came alive at around the 30 minute mark. After getting a shot off, he finally struck for a goal at the 32-minute mark from the keeper’s box after receiving a beautiful feed from newly-instated midfielder Baltazar Cedillo.
“Baltazar, I just moved him up to varsity yesterday,” the coach said. “Because I knew that he could add something to our team. That’s something we’ve been working on, the through passes, and it paid off because it was in the first two minutes he was in the game.”
The 1-0 lead quickly evaporated as Maquoketa got an equalizer a minute later. If the Bears were fazed by giving up the lead, they did not show it as Cameron Gingerich poured in another shot. Defender Lincoln Edwards made an outstanding play with 35 minutes elapsed, chasing down a breakaway chance and making a clean tackle to clear the ball out of harm’s way. Scire had a shot on goal in the final minute, but the match went to a draw at 1-1 entering the intermission.
After the break, the Bears stayed aggressive. Trenton Schutte uncorked a shot a minute into the half, while Reese Gingerich followed a minute later with a shot of his own. Schutte and Cameron Gingerich each unfurled one of their patented deep shots moments later, while another Schutte shot at the 48-minute mark went just over the goalpost. After a Hamann shot was cleared by Maquoketa, the ensuing corner saw another scoring chance for Cameron Gingerich off of a header that just missed at 52 minutes.
After a shot each from Reese Gingerich and Scire, the Bears’ depth was tested after Scire received a yellow card and had to be substituted out for a handful of minutes at the 61-minute mark. Jarrett Ellyson took his place and immediately made an impact. Ellyson missed a goal by inches in the same minute before getting a shot on goal off of a header a moment later.
“There’s several people who had an off game, so it’s nice to have a bench that can come in and replace them,” Miller said. “Hopefully add a little pep to the team, and I kind of felt that’s what Jarrett did when he went in for Christian. It’s great to have quality players on the bench, that’s for sure.”
Ellyson’s presence helped free up an opportunity for Hamann, who dribbled the ball into the middle of the keeper’s box and delivered what would eventually become the winning goal at 64 minutes. Despite having the late advantage, West Branch kept up the pressure. Cameron Gingerich, Reese Gingerich, and Schutte each had quality shots, with Schutte’s just clearing the goalpost at 75 minutes. Hamann had a couple of close calls a minute later, also clearing the goalpost before clanging an excruciatingly close shot off of the post.
After surviving a scare at 78 minutes, the Bears had to make one last stand as the Cardinals were awarded a free kick with three seconds left from about half the distance of the West Branch side. The kick fell well short of the mark, preserving the hard-fought conference win.
West Branch weathered a fine effort from Maquoketa senior keeper Samuel Knotts, who had 22 saves, and a well-tuned Cardinals team that had a 2-0 record with wins over Clinton and Anamosa heading into the matchup. Miller felt that communication was a difference-maker.
“We’ve been focusing a lot on communication,” the coach said. “They’ve improved a lot from last year, already. That’s how we’re able to get the ball pushed up as high on the pitch as quickly as we have been, with the communicating. Everybody’s been doing a great job with that.”
The Bears’ midfielders proved pivotal in winning the match, as Cameron Gingerich and Schutte played most of the minutes while covering large swaths of ground and adding offensive value with constant shots. Elliot Hinkhouse also helped control the game from the midfield and helped out on defense in the late going.
“The mids had a good game,” Miller said. “They had scoring opportunities, just unlucky they didn’t go in. But they will. Trenton had an outstanding game at center mid. He had some good looks, they just didn’t fall.”
Off the bench, Cedillo and Cooper Burger in particular helped the Bears stay competitive when the starters took a breather.
West Branch’s defense played well, easing the burden on keeper Shae Farmer. Edwards and Timmy Hosier locked down the Bears’ territory, erasing easy looks for Maquoketa and starting scoring opportunities with good passing. Jake Swisher also had strong minutes.
The Bears will have a whirlwind upcoming schedule, with a Friday road match against Cascade followed by home tilts against Mid-Prairie May 15 and the rescheduled contest against Tipton. Miller said that there will be no cakewalks this year, and that “we just have to make sure we’re the team with the fewest errors.”
1 2 T
WB 1 1 2
Maq. 1 0 1
West Branch offense n/a
West Branch goalkeeping n/a
Maquoketa offense: Kelan Starr 1 goal, 2 points, 2 shots, 2 SOG; Cameron Tracy 1 assist, 1 point, 1 shot; Cole Koob 1 shot, 1 SOG. Team totals: 1 assist, 1 goal, 4 shots, 3 shots on goal.
Maqouketa goalkeeping: Samuel Knotts 2 goals allowed, 22 saves, 91.7 PCT.
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