Sports
Photos: Lakeville North Boys Soccer Battles Apple Valley to Scoreless Draw
Neither team can find the back of the net in South Suburban Conference opener for both schools.
Two-time defending state champions rarely traffic in moral victories, but to hear coach Chuck Scanlon talk about the Eagles' 0-0 tie against on Tuesday, that's exactly how he saw the outcome.
“We had that long undefeated streak, but there comes a time when you have to start over, and this is it,” Scanlon said. “We were 'that close' a number of times. I give the guys a lot of credit. A lot of positive things happened out there today.”
The Eagles had their amazing winning streak—48 straight matches, including two state titles—snapped by Holy Family last Monday, did not appear to be in rebuilding mode in the early stages of Tuesday's game. Apple Valley took the play to Lakeville North and had several good scoring chances in the first dozen minutes of the game.
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“That was by design,” Scanlon said. “We went right after them. We knew they would come out slow, that they didn't think we were very good. So we (told our players) to try to get something going early.”
Lakeville North coach Pete Tyma said it was respect, not a lack of it, that caused the cautious start.
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“They play a very direct form of soccer, and they're not shy about it,” Tyma said. “They put you on your heels early.”
One of Apple Valley's best early scoring chances came in the 39th minute, when Connor Flanagan launched a mid-range shot that went just wide.
The Panthers mounted more of an attack in the second half, when they had a number of good scoring chances of their own. Lakeville North's best chance to score probably came in the 88th minute of regulation, when Joey Decklever's shot was blocked over the top of the goal by Apple Valley keeper Josh Rosenthal.
The two five-minute overtime sessions featured great scoring chances for both teams, but both were denied.
“In overtime I think we both just forgot about philosophy and played soccer,” Tyma said. “Maybe we should have done that sooner.”
Apple Valley (3-1-1, 0-0-1 South Suburban Conference) hosts Bloomington Jefferson on Thursday, while Lakeville North (3-0-2, 0-0-1 South Suburban Conference) is also back in action Thursday, at home against .
