Indians sink Pirates on stormy senior night

The Jackson boys soccer team rebounded from their home opening loss to Lindbergh on Monday by sinking the Perryville Pirates 5-1 on Senior Night Thursday in Jackson, Mo.

"You can tell we were a little fired up from Monday's game. We didn't feel like we played real well on Monday and I thought our boys responded really well," Jackson head coach Zack Walton said. "I thought our seniors stepped up and played well tonight."

It didn't take long for the game to be in Jackson's favor. It was fitting that the first goal came from a senior, as Dylan Craig swiftly scored the first goal of the game with only 39:44 remaining in the first half.

"Knowing it's senior night, coming out in the first minute of the game and putting one in the back of the net," Walton said. "I thought that said a lot for us right there, and set the tone right off the bat."

Jackson junior Dylan Stothmann scored his first of two goals with 25:27 remaining in the first half to give the Indians a 2-0 lead.

"He had a really good free kick tonight," Walton said. "I thought him and Luke [Simmons], one of them was looking to shoot a right, one of them was looking to shoot a left. The way they set their wall was open, and with Dylan being left-footed there, it was a good free kick for him.

"On Dylan's second goal, the ball came to him," Walton added. "We had a couple of guys there on the back post, which is what we try to work on. And Dylan took a good first touch and was able to strike the ball back in the net."

Perry made it a competitive game in the first half after Treyton Barnett scored with 14:57 remaining in the first half. Barnett previously found the net during the Pirates' most recent game as well, a 5-1 home win over Hillsboro on Sept. 19.

The Indians later turned a competitive game into a blowout, by proceeding to score three unanswered goals, from Stothmann and seniors Jake Johnson and Blake Cain. As the rain came down in the second half, so did the shots on goal.

"I think we did a great job of trying to keep the ball, keep good possession of it, and work the ball through the middle and finding guys that are open," Walton said. "I thought we kept it pretty simple as far as what you're trying to accomplish in a game, and I think that's where we kind of were able to pick some seams apart and play through balls and get guys loose."

After playing the first six games on the road, the Indians' homestand continues with key upcoming matchups with Sikeston (Sept. 30) and Cape Central (Oct. 9). With the exception of the Kickapoo Showcase on Oct. 3-5, six of the remaining nine regular season games are at home, which bodes well for the Indians.

"It's always good to play at home. It's always good to play on the turf you practice on day in and day out, so that's always an advantage for us," Walton said. "To play in front of a big crowd is really enjoyable for the kids. So I'm glad that they came out. I'm thankful for State Community Bank coming out tonight and tailgating and offering free food for people and helping us get fans out."

At 5-3, Jackson is confident the Indians can make a run through Class 4 District 1.

"We got to try to do is focus on getting better every day and get to that district tournament," Walton said. "I think these boys can win a district title. If you win a district title, that puts you in the final eight, and one more win puts you in the Final Four. So I definitely think that's something within reach."