Visiting Ripon Christian made the best of the cold, wet field Friday night, scoring two quick goals and then adding another to blank Ripon 3-0 in Trans-Valley League boys soccer action at Stouffer Field.
“We’re used to yucking it up in these types of games,” Knights coach Danny Koolhaas said. “We seem to play better in weather like this.
“I thought we set the tone really early. We have a tendency to start out really strong, and then we drop down. We got up two goals on them last time.”
When the two teams met on Wednesday, Jan. 8, Ripon Christian (2-3-4 TVL, 7-4-6 overall) took an early 2-0 lead but could not hold it in a 3-2 win for the Indians (4-2-2, 10-10-3).
“I told the boys before the game started that we were going to start off really strong,” Koolhaas said. “I said when we get that first goal, let’s get the second. When we get the second, let’s go get the third. And I guess they listened to the pre-game speech, and it worked out.”
Drew Meester got the Knights on the board 12 minutes in when he covered a deflection and blasted it into the net from the 18.
“The ball was on the corner of the 18,” Meester said. “It was a cross that got deflected, and then I chested it down and volleyed it.”
With 14 minutes left in the first half, Collin Lecain made the score 2-0 off of an assist from Daniel Lambdin.
“I got the ball off a cross,” Lecain said. “I just dropped it right to my foot, I cut it out and shot it to the bottom right.”
Four minutes into the second half, Colton Veldstra padded the Ripon Christian lead off of an assist from Lecain.
The Knights outshot Ripon 12-5.
“We changed our game,” Indians coach Jose Montes said. “We really didn’t play at all. They started with a tempo and kept their tempo, and we couldn’t get it going all night.
“We couldn’t connect any passes together – maybe one or two, but that’s it. We just panicked.”
Ripon Christian’s Wesley Vander Woude made five saves and Deegan Nobles tallied four saves for Ripon.
On Wednesday at 5:15 p.m. the Knights host Escalon and the Indians travel to Sonora at 5:45 p.m.
Junior varsity
Ripon 4, Ripon Christian 0
Alan Aguire posted a brace for the Indians while Kalvin Martin and Cade Vallee added a goal apiece.
