Tigers end scoreless deadlock in overtime

Tyson Whiteside lifted Central to a 1-0 victory over Jackson. ~

By Jeremy Joffray ~ Southeast Missourian

Central's soccer team was seeing red Tuesday night at home.

The Tigers saw the red of Jackson jerseys in nearly every passing lane and packed inside the defensive end every time the they attempted to make an offensive push.

But after nearly 88 minutes of strong, scoreless play from both sides, Central forward Tyson Whiteside was able to lift the Tigers to victory with a goal in the first sudden-death overtime.

"Whew," Central coach Tom Doyle said after the game. "What a whale of a game. That's what soccer is all about."

Central's victory was its third straight over a district opponent, all by shutouts. Central improved to 7-3, while Jackson fell to 4-6.

While the Tigers looked to be in control for much of the game, Jackson simply refused to go away. The Indians were continually intercepting Central passes in the opening half, not allowing Central to play the possession game it prefers.

Jackson coach Zack Walton said he has moved some kids around on the field lately, something he thinks has helped them play better.

"We have a different mix out there, and its working well for us," he said. "But we're not going to settle for this."

Central started to pick up its play in the second half, pinning Jackson in its own zone the majority of the time. Central junior Lance Altenthal seemed to be everywhere, nearly scoring on three separate occasions. Altenthal was stopped on a one-on-one chance by Jackson goalie Tyler Holmon about midway through the half, and just minutes later he hit one off the side netting.

With the Tigers pushing so many players up late in the game, Jackson had several strong opportunities of its own. Central goalie Tony Leuckel was up to the task, though, with his biggest save coming on a breakaway with less than a minute left in the game.

"He came up big when he had to," Doyle said of Leuckel. "That's something that's tough when you're not getting a lot of shots on goal."

Jackson had another chance early in overtime, but the Indians wasted a free kick by hitting it right to Leuckel.

Moments later Central's Eddie Glenn just missed wide on a breakaway. Altenthal grazed the crossbar just minutes after Glenn's miss. Glenn kept working up front for the Tigers, and with less than two minutes left in the first overtime he fed Whiteside, who slipped a tight angle shot past Holmon.

"I thought my boys played well," Walton said. "We proved a point we can play with any team around here and we don't want to be content with that."

Central's JV team improved to 3-1 with a 4-2 win. Ben Patrick and Brooks Osburn scored two goals apiece. Matt Hester added two assists, and Patrick also had an assist.