Jackson falls short in home match as Lindbergh's Tallevast shines

As rain clouds filled the sky over the Jackson High School soccer field late in regulation, the Indians had an opportunity to strike on the offensive front.

Instead, Lindbergh used a goal in each half and stifling defensive play to deny Jackson a home win in an action-packed non-conference match on Monday, Sept. 23.

Lindbergh senior forward Nicholas Tallevast’s tap-in goal in the 48th minute proved to be the difference, as the Flyers (8-1-1) took a 2-0 advantage and never looked back to soar away with a pivotal 2-1 road victory.

“We did some good stuff at times out there,” Jackson head coach Zack Walton said. “We just didn't do it for a full 40 minutes in the first half and a full 40 minutes in the second half. So, those are things that we got to fix a little bit. That work rate wasn't there the whole time, and when we put the work rate in, we had really good chances and opportunities to score.

“That's a good team, but I think we can play right with them. We’ve got some improvement to do if we're going to beat them.”

Defense was the tale of the tape in the first half, but Lindbergh dominated time of possession and threatened numerous times throughout the stanza before netting a goal to take a 1-0 lead into the half.

The Flyers continued to enjoy the upper hand after the break and only a fine, low save by Jackson goalie Braden Thompson denied Adis Keranovic’s powerfully-struck shot as desperate defending kept the Indians (4-3) at bay.

That's until Tallevast’s brilliant strike brought the Flyers in front for good, as they built a lead that they could not surrender.

Jackson junior Dylan Strothmann gave Indian fans hope as he sliced a penalty kick into the back of the net with 14 minutes remaining to cut the deficit to 2-1. Walton credited senior Dylan Craig for setting up the penalty kick opportunity that ultimately kept Jackson in the game.

“He (Craig) worked extremely hard down here to help us defensively,” Walton said. “He doesn't give up on any battles, gets and keeps it from going out of bounds, knocks it back in and it results in the penalty kick for us. But, Dylan Craig really worked his butt off out here and helped make that happen. That’s the hard work that we're really looking for in games out here.”

Craig and the rest of the Indians’ strong effort could not prevail, however, as Lindbergh controlled the clock and fended off any Jackson scoring opportunities following Strothmann’s goal.

Walton was the first to admit it was “a tough night” for his team against a lively Lindbergh, who had not only more efforts on goal (8-3) but put more on target (4-2) in the second half alone.

“I thought we gave them a little bit too much room,” Walton said. “At times they were able to get the ball, hold it, and that intensity and being a little more touch tight would have helped us a little bit. We’ll watch some film and figure those things out. We'll improve. We’ve got to try to now focus on recovery and getting ready to play Perryville on Thursday.”

The Indians host the rival Pirates on Senior Night this Thursday, Sept. 26 at 6:30 pm.