By: Joe Blystone
DELTA (October 10, 2023) – Six years ago, Evergreen embarked on a new journey by making boys soccer a varsity sport. The Vikings won a total of two games in the infancy season of the program.
During the next six seasons, Evergreen has matured faster than the Gerber Grow Up Plan, going from two wins to two straight Division III Sectional championships the past two years, including a district final berth in the latter. This season the Vikes graduated to the next goal.
In what was basically a league title match, Evergreen rang up the first three goals in a 3-1 win over Delta, to secure an outright NWOAL crown.
Delta needed a win to force a three-way tie for the top spot with Evergreen and Wauseon.
“The beginning of the year, every year, the boys and I talk about it,” Viking coach Dave Skoczyn said of the championship.
“It’s great 20 years from now when the banner is up there. You should be proud when you win one, but you have to do it as a team.”
“We started off with adversity losing (All-District player) Elijah Hernandez, and because of that this team could’ve gone the other way. We just battle every game. First goal accomplished but we still have more to do.”
Evergreen struck just under 15 minutes into the contest. Cory Kanneman’s throw in from the left side bounced over high flying Riley Dunbar to the offside where Konnor Sanford nailed a one-time header into the back of the mesh with 24:51 on the clock.
“We told them before the game if we come in here and get the first goal, the outlook is different,” Skoczyn explained.
“We talk about backside, backside, backside all the time and to stay there. Don’t run in, don’t get caught. He stayed right where he was supposed to be. Gets a shot. Done.”
The Panthers mustered few chances in the first 40 minutes but netminder Brody Roth kept Delta within a goal.
Roth made a great 1-v-1 save on Brodie Setmire racing in from the left side with under 14 minutes left, then grabbed Tyson Woodring’s blast at the left near post with just under two minutes to go.
Delta got their first great opportunity five minutes into the second when Eli Mora snapped off a rocket, however Alex Mossing made a great stop to keep the Panthers off the board.
Woodring thought he had doubled the Viking margin with 30 minutes left in the game but his goal from right in front was disallowed for an offside call.
The high scoring senior got his revenge with 26:41 left. Nick Rosinski stole a pass on the right sideline, won a battle for the ball in the right corner, the fed Woodring streaking to the front for a punch in and a 2-0 Viking lead.
We talked about making the backside run and Nick came up with a play, battled to make a play and he heard Tyson just yelling for the ball and he just made a fantastic pass, I’m not sure how it got through, but it did, and we knocked it in, ” Skoczyn said of Rosinski’s momentum changing effort.
Eight minutes later the Vikings delivered the knockout punch. Alex Fritsch rooted the sphere out of the middle up field to Dunbar who went right to middle with a perfect pass to Woodring for a goal at 18:15 and a 3-0 bulge.
“These kids want to play for each other, work for each other and win for each other,” an ecstatic Skoczyn said. “That’s what the beauty of this team is.”
Delta got one back, but not until only 5:21 was left. Eli Mora converted Tyson Bower’s corner into the Panthers only goal of the night.
Mossing batted away two more Panther chances late, giving the freshman stopper six saves on the night. Roth had five knockaways for Delta.
Evergreen (14-1-1, 6-0 NWOAL) – Goals: Tyson Woodring, Konnor Sanford; Assists: Nick Rosinski, Riley Dunbar; Saves: Alex Mossing 6
Delta (11-4, 4-2 NWOAL) – Goal: Eli Mora; Assist: Tyson Bower; Saves: Brody Roth 5
Joe can be reached at publisher@thevillagereporter.com