(Photo by Randy Hunt of R & R Photography)
The West Plains Zizzers played their best game of the season on Tuesday night against the Rolla Bulldogs in an Ozark Conference Match. The Zizzers came out playing together, communicating, and in better defensive starting positions. The Zizzers did a good job defending as a team. Rolla came into the match with a record of 4-2-0 and 1-0-0 in Ozark Conference play. The Zizzers on the other hand were 1-7-0 overall and 1-2-0 in Ozark Conference play coming into the match.
The Zizzers did a good job defensively in the first half, holding Rolla to one goal. That score came in the 37th minute of play as Cody Martin’s cross from the left side found Kyle Keebey in front of the goal. Keebey’s shot got by Zizzer keeper Louis Jones for a 1-0 Bulldog lead. That would be the halftime score. We knew Rolla would come out strong in the second half and that we would have to match their energy to stay close.
The second half was a lot like the first half. Rolla moved the ball, but the Zizzers were able to keep them off the scoreboard for awhile. It wouldn’t be until the 62nd minute that Rolla would get their second goal. The Zizzers were called for a foul about 25 yards from goal resulting in a free kick for the Bulldogs. On the ensuing kick, Cody Martin placed a perfect ball just past the Zizzers Wall and inside the far post for a 2-0 lead. The Zizzers kept playing hard and moved the ball a little bit here and there, but couldn’t create the dangerous chances they needed to score a goal. In the 74th minute, the Bulldgos would get goal number three. This time it was Miles Wilson who knocked the ball in the goal after Louis Jones had made the inital save, but couldn’t corral it. Kyle Keebey got the assist on the goal. In the 78th minute, Keebey would wrap up the scoring, receiving an assit from Cody Martin.
The Zizzers had nothing to put their heads down about on this night. A good showing against a good Rolla team should give the boys confidence. They played hard and played together for 80 minutes. It was a team effort. Louis Jones performed well in goal. Klay Norman, Dylan York, Jack Parrish, and Colton Hensley did a nice job in the back playing the entire 80 minutes. Justyn Biggers, Brodie Bender, Chris Polston, Kamen Smith did a good job in the midfield. Zach Bartlett and Zack Dixon saw time both at Forward and in the midfield. Cory Parks, Logan Huff, and Travis Waterson did a nice job at Forward. The things we are working on in practice are being put to use in the games. We are making progress and tonight’s performance was a big step in the right direction. The key will be to continue building on it. Nice work Boys!
In JV action, the Zizzers fell to the Bulldogs 5-0. Rolla scored goals in the 6th, 7th, and 8th minutes to take a 3-0 lead. From their the boys settled down and played pretty well. The backs did an exceptional job tonight. Sean Tobeler, Justin Casillas, Devon Scott, and Jeffery Belanger did a good job at limiting Rolla’s chances around the box and Logan Huff made a couple of good saves in the first half. The Bulldogs would add a fourth goal in the 27th minute of the half for a 4-0 halftime lead.
The second half was more of the same. The Zizzers defended pretty well and moved the ball at times. Nick King did a nice job in goal the second half, allwing just one goal. That goal came in the 57th minute. Some good progress in picking up things from practice. Some things are new to the team and take time to llearn and become familiar with. It’s a work in progress. Keep working hard boys!
Next up for both teams will be games at home Thursday against Logan-Rogersville. JV starts at 5:00pm with Varsity to follow. This is a big game as Logan-Rogersville is the only team in our District that we play during the season.