Fenwick’s fast start too much for Knights to overcome

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By John Bombatch, Staff Writer 11:22 PM Saturday, October 29, 2011

MONROE — After trailing in each of their last two Division II boys soccer postseason games, the Fenwick High School Falcons weren’t about to let the same thing happen on Saturday.

Fenwick (11-8-1) had scored two goals in the first 10 minutes of its district championship contest with Greenon and left Monroe High School’s stadium with a convincing 7-0 win.

“I think we were kind of shell-shocked to tell you the truth,” said Greenon coach Jeff Nickles. “They play a different kind of ball than we’re used to. We had some shots, but we just couldn’t connect.”

The Falcons had no trouble connecting.

“We ran into a wall of offense,” said Nickles. “The play in the GCL (Greater Catholic League), so we knew they were going to be a tough team.”

They were right.

“My guys have played with a lot of heart and determination all year. They came out early and played well,” said Fenwick coach Scott Walker. “We said we needed to score early, because we went down by two goals in the last two games. We didn’t want that to happen, so that was a little bit of extra motivation for us.”

In Fenwick’s last two contests, it trailed Oakwood and Bellbrook by 2-0 scores before rallying for 3-2 wins.

Mark Andrew recorded the first hat trick of his high school career. The junior midfielder scored Fenwick’s first two goals — off assists from Keenan Blache and Matt Loh — then added his third goal in the second half off another Loh pass.

“I’ve never done that in high school, so that was a cool experience,” Andrew said of the three goals.

Loh said there were no thoughts of letting up on the Knights (12-6-1).

“Not at all. In this tournament, you have to keep coming hard every single game,” Loh said.

Nickles was impressed with the Falcons’ level of play.

“Obviously Fenwick is a heckuva team,” he said. “We got outmatched, I think, in a couple spots on the field today. But I’m proud of my guys and the way they played.”

Aside from a bad day Saturday, the Knights had quite a season.

“It’s the first time we’ve made district finals (since 1999),” said Nickles. “It’s a tough loss, but it shouldn’t overshadow the things the kids accomplished this year. Four straight CBC titles, that’s a great accomplishment. And 12 wins is something to be proud of as well.”

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