Hawks tie state power CVCA 1-1 on late Lotut goal
Usually, when a team generates a tie in a game, it is no need for great celebration.However, if it comes versus a team which has given you fits over the years, in this case Hiland’s nemesis Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy, it is indeed a moment to rejoice in your accomplishment.
What added to the delight of Hiland’s 1-1 tie on a rainy Saturday evening Sept. 26, at Hiland was the way it came about, as well as the fact that CVCA currently sits as the No. 4 ranked team in Div. III.
After dominating the entire game on the offensive side, CVCA’s Evan Crocker found the goal by out-maneuvering pair of Hawks defenders and driving home a perfect shot past a diving Dylan Kaufman in the Hawks net in the game’s 46th minute to begin the second half. The way CVCA was controlling the flow of the game, it was going to be tough for the Hawks to mount a threat.
“The run of play favored them, and the shot totals favored them,” said Bodiker. “This is our fourth tie of the season, and in the first three games, we felt we were the better team and deserved to win. Tonight, overall, they proved to be the better team, but soccer is a strange game, and in the end, one went in the net each way.”
However, rather than crawl into a hole and hide their heads, Hiland came back attacking, and nearly tied the game when Cody Miller’s shot on an indirect kick was nearly deflected in, banging off the left post. Hiland’s John Lotut did tie the score with 10 minutes left to play, smashing a gorgeous shot past the CVCA goalie off a pass from Luke Burch.
Following the goal, the Hawks took it to a stunned CVCA team, but were unable to net another score, and instead had to settle for a tie against a team in which Hiland coach Scott Bodiker has never beaten in his 10 year tenure, and only tied once before.
“It was a gutsy result from our guys,” said Bodiker. “We’ve beaten these guys in the distant past, but not in my 10-year tenure. Maybe one of these days...”
The game had a festive, tournament atmosphere due to the significance of two of the top teams in the state banging heads. CVCA has been a traditional state power, and they know when they come to Hiland, they will be tested.
“I thought we came out with a bunch of pressure early, and sustained it throughout the night,” said first-year CVCA coach Jon Taylor. “Give credit to Scott and his whole team to hold strong defensively and not give up many goals. At half, I told the kids, keep going, the goals will come, but soccer is a funny game. You can control the entire game and still lose or draw.”
The reason CVCA found it tough to cross the goal line was three-fold. One, the constant rain made a muddy quagmire of the field, making footing bad, although both coaches said that it had no effect on the outcome of the game. The second was Hiland’s stingy defense, which has now given up a mere six goals through 11 games. The third was Hiland goalie Dylan Kaufman, who made several point-blank saves on shots which had the crowd in awe.
“There was a lot of slipping and sliding, clearly, but the rain didn’t have as big of an impact on the game as I thought it might. They still were obviously able to pass the ball very well. In a 1-1 game, you sometimes expect a goalfest, but that wasn’t the case. Both goals were great goals, that you can’t say on a dry field wouldn’t have gone in. Each team has to give credit and say their opponent was able to put a great goal in the net,” said Bodiker.
“Dylan’s been great all year,” said Bodiker. “They had a number of scary situations, but they never materialized into anything. In the end, Dylan only had to make a few really good saves, but a couple of them were really spectacular.”
Bodiker said that with the season well past the midway point, this contest was a true test for his team, and he was thrilled with how they responded to the challenge of playing one of the state’s very best.
“This is my favorite game of the season, and I don’t like to lose to them, even having done well against them,” said Bodiker. “This game always lets us know where we are at, and even more so this year, since they have dropped down to Div. III. This should be encouragement to the guys that they can compete at that kind of level.”
The reserve team plastered CVCA 6-0, as the defense threw up its sixth shutout to improve their overall record to 9-1-1.