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Franklin
Monroe senior Claire Neiswander battles a player from Anna
Tuesday for control of the
ball. The Jets played the Rockets to a 1-1
tie. CNO Photo By George Starks
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FM gets late
goal to tie Rockets
By George Starks
PITSBURG- Rarely is a soccer coach ever pleased when a game ends in a
tie.
Tuesday was one of those rare occasions.
Franklin Monroe coach Scott Howell would rather have had the win but
was forced to settle for a 1-1 tie Tuesday against regional powerhouse
Anna.
"I'm not unhappy about a tie with this team," said Howell. "Anna is one
of the best teams in the Miami Valley and they have some outstanding
players. Even though we got a tie out of this, this is the best game
we've played all year."
With 24:12 remaining in the first half, Anna senior Erica Huber scored,
giving the Rockets a 1-0 lead.
The goal would stand up the rest of the half and as things progressed
into the second half, it seemed it would be the only score of the night.
"The Huber kid is as good as they get," Howell said of the Anna senior.
"On a set pick, she had that head ball, playing the only backer as a
fullback. She's just a fantastic kid. By far, probably one of the best
kids we've seen all year."
With 37:44 having elapsed off the second half clock, the Jets finally
broke through. In what would be a last ditch effort on a night of
missed opportunities, the Jet offense would pull the Rocket defense
out, opening up the goal and allowing sophomore Allison Flora to get
the home team even.
"That was a heck of a play," Howell admitted. "We talked at half-time
about the opportunities we had missed and we knew we had a lot more
opportunities than what they had. We were able to drag all 10 of their
players out and get the goalie on the ground and we scored. Anna was
ranked sixth or seventh in the Miami Valley and was ranked in the state
at one time. This is a great Anna team. This game tonight proved to me
that we can play with any team."
In a tie, a coach will be the first to say, "we didn't lose anything
but we didn't gain anything either."
In the tie with the Rockets, the Jets came away gaining more than they
lost.
"It's a moral victory if there is such a thing," Howell stated. "We
gained a lot because we learned something about ourselves. We know we
can play with the best teams out there. We know we have it in us. We
just gotta bring it every day. That's the bottom line."
With the Anna game in the books, the Jets will travel to Lehman
Catholic tonight.
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