By: Joe Blystone
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
METAMORA (October 3, 2024) – The last three years, Evergreen and Delta have battled the last week of the season for the NWOAL soccer title. Two years ago, a 0-0 deadlock meant that neither could hoist the trophy.
Last season, Evergreen’s 3-1 triumph gave the unbeaten Vikings the league championship. This year, in a game that more resembled a fast-paced NBA basketball game without a shot clock, Delta got a score from Caiden Etter with 9:38 to go to claim a 3-2 victory that gave Delta at least a tie for the league title.
The 12-3 Panthers can claim the championship outright with a win over Bryan Tuesday.
It took only 78 seconds into the contest for the Panthers to strike, as Etter ripped a shot from the middle past a diving Alex Mossing for the first Delta goal.
From that point though, Mossing made a number of big first half saves to keep the Vikings in contact. The sophomore net minder stopped Sam Mohring from the right of the net with 10 minutes left, then stoned Tyson Bower on a penalty kick with five to go.
That save seemed to turn the momentum in favor of the Vikes as they made a couple of late charges only to have Delta’s Brodey Roth stop Luke Woodring with three minutes to go, the George Allendorf’s shot from a sharp angle on the right side of the field went just wide of the left post with 15 seconds left.
Only three minutes into the second, Allendorf got another chance and this time he made good.
Konnor Sanford out battled a Delta defender player right of the net and fed Allendorf in the middle where the junior striker blasted a shot off the left post into the net to knot the match.
Delta reclaimed the advantage with 22:42 on the clock. Mohring launched a free kick from about 40 yards out the Nick Circle and Mossing ended up in a foot race to the ball left of the goal. Circle got there just ahead and punched it in for 2-1 Panther margin.
It didn’t take long for Evergreen to regain a tie and again it was Allendorf doing the honors.
Gavin Raby rooted out a ball deep in Viking territory down the left side and Allendorf out raced a Delta player, forced his way through another and beat Roth from the left side with 17:06 left.
From there it was Mossing and Roth with one big stop after another for the next eight minutes, Roth getting a good one against Brogan Eisel swooping in from the left, and Mossing batting a shot off the post, then snaring the rebound off Circle to keep the game even.
With just under 10 to go a Delta attack left Etter in a sprint against Mossing of the left of the goal which Etter got there first and punched a shot from an angle that got into the opposite side of the net to give the Panthers the lead.
Evergreen had a number of late rushes, including one where Allendorf took heavy contact from near the net that went without a call, but came without a really good shot.
The teams combined for 33 attempts toward the net, Delta taking 19 of those. Each goalie had nine saves in the game.