Jackson boys soccer team routs Poplar Bluff in SoccerFest opener

It had been 13 days since the Jackson boys soccer team played a game, and the Indians picked up right where they left off.

Led by two goals each from Josh Scholl and Justice Crosnoe, Jackson cruised to a 7-2 victory over Poplar Bluff in the first game of the Notre Dame SoccerFest on Thursday.

The Indians will take on Perryville at 5:30 p.m. today, while the Mules face Carbondale, Illinois, at 5 p.m. Perryville defeated Carbondale 5-2.

Scholl got things started for Jackson with an unassisted goal 50 seconds into the game before providing the assist for Liam Gray on a corner kick four minutes later, giving the Indians an early 2-0 advantage.

"We came out pretty quick and put a couple great passes and had some great opportunities to score and got one early in the game, and I really think that help set the tone for the rest of that half," Jackson coach Zack Walton said. "... Our boys were ready to play."

The Indians (2-0) extended their lead to 3-0 when Caleb Wadley scored on an assist from Scholl at the 16-minute mark of the first half.

The Mules (1-3) recorded their only first-half shot on goal with less than five minutes remaining in the half. Jackson outshot Poplar Bluff 12-1 in the half and led 3-0 at the break.

Jackson's Josh Scholl looks to the sideline during the second half against Poplar Bluff Thursday, Sept. 3, 2015 at Notre Dame. (Glenn Landberg)

"They jumped on us early," Mules coach Steven Edwards said. "We didn't work the ball the way we wanted to. We weren't transitioning back, and our mids were hanging back when we were back and didn't get up. Early in the game, we just didn't play well honestly, but as the game went on, I was pleased with our effort."

Aaron Voshage netted a goal on an assist from Crosnoe at the 35:56 mark of the second half, and less than 30 seconds later, Voshage found Crosnoe on a goal that pushed Jackson's lead to 5-0.

The Indians controlled possession throughout the game, and Walton was pleased with his players' conditioning in the 90-degree weather.

"I thought we looked pretty good as far as possession and playing our positions. We did a great job of that," Walton said. "I thought everybody on the field played well, so I was proud of my boys tonight.

"Poplar Bluff's a good team, and I think we just kind of caught them tonight. ... We'll get them again later in the year, and I promise they'll remember this. They're going to want to come back and have a better showing as well."

Walton also gave credit to his defenders for enabling the offense to move fluidly.

"All the way across the board, all 11 guys, contributed and did their part," Walton said. "We started it in the back and opened things up to allow our forwards and mids to get a little bit more space. I was proud of all of them."

Jackson player rest during halftime against Poplar Bluff Thursday, Sept. 3, 2015 at Notre Dame. (Glenn Landberg)

Scholl's second goal came with 33:33 remaining in the game. The junior broke free from the defense and fired a shot from 25 yards out into the left corner of the net to extend Jackson's lead to 6-0. He finished with four shots on goal and also had a second-half shot carom off the crossbar.

"He had some really nice shots tonight. I thought Josh did a good job on his shots. The reality is a lot of those guys had good opportunities in there as well," Walton said. "I thought Crosnoe worked his tail off tonight and really worked hard to get a goal in there. Liam had some great shots in there and scored some goals for us, and so did Voshage. ... It was a great team effort all the way around."

Poplar Bluff found some new life later in the period when Adam Vincent netted a goal that ended the Indians' shutout bid with 18:50 remaining. First-year player Kameron Misner, a standout on the baseball field, tacked on another goal less than three minutes later, trimming Jackson's lead to 6-2.

Walton was pleased with his team's second-half surge.

"The thing about it is that tells you one thing, 'We're in shape,'" Edwards said. "Once our touches come, watch out. Here's Poplar Bluff. The same thing happened last year."

The Mules lost several key contributors from last season, but Walton believes his team will be able to put everything together when the playoffs arrive.

"It's just a work in progress. It'll come, and there's not a doubt in my mind that it'll come," Edwards said. "The kids work hard and are in shape, and they believe in it. It just takes a while.

"That's the good thing about playing this tournament early is you get a good feel. You see good competition. You see different things and get to make adjustments to get ready for district play."

Crosnoe rounded out the scoring on an assist from Voshage with less than four minutes to go in the game. Goalkeeper Brayden Emmons finished with three saves for the Indians.

Poplar Bluff's Trevor Fredwell recorded nine saves before being replaced by Nick Rowland early in the second half. Rowland added five saves.

After the game, Edwards said he told his players to think positive and remain upbeat.

"We're not a coaching staff that's going to belittle our team and get down on them and hound them. We've got to look at the positives," he said. "... We had some great through balls there at the end, and it wasn't that Jackson wasn't in shape. It was just that we started executing what we were planning."

Led by five seniors and nine juniors, the Indians have a wealth of experience in their arsenal this season.

"A lot of those juniors have played together since they were little. Some of those kids have played on varsity since they were freshmen, so we have some experience," Walton said. "They work in the offseason and play quite a bit. All that accumulation helps us a ton.

"We've got some good leadership there from our seniors. One group of boys isn't going to make it. You've got to have a good group of seniors, a good group of juniors and some sophomores that will help you out, and tonight that showed."