Wolverines rebound with 4-1 conference win over Chase

For much of Monday’s first half against Chase, Polk County’s boys soccer team did everything that head coach Josh Trejo wanted except score.

The Wolverines controlled play, defended well, created scoring chances – took care of all points except push a ball into the net.

That finally changed in the final minutes of the half, with Polk scoring twice en route to a 4-1 win over the Trojans in a Mountain Foothills 7 Conference match in G.M. Tennant Stadium.

Coming off tough losses to Owen and Hibriten, Polk County (2-6-1, 2-2) needed some good things to happen early Monday, especially on the scoreboard. That breakthrough came in the 34th minute as Ben Korzelius served a long cross-field pass into the right corner that Harrison Ashworth tracked down, then passed back to Charlie Jackson. Jackson hit a drive from some 20 yards out that just slipped inside the right post to give the Wolverines the lead.

Ashworth also set up Polk’s second goal, that in the 39th minute, winning a scramble with a Chase defender deep in the penalty area, then hitting a perfect cross to Jack Smith, who stood all alone in the center of the box. Smith easily found the back of the net from eight yards out for a 2-0 Wolverine advantage.

“We had a solid first half and worked really well,” Trejo said. “We did discuss that we’ve got to keep that same intensity for 90 minutes. We moved the ball a lot better and produced more chances than we have been producing.

“We produced a lot of chances in the first half. We probably could have put the game away in the first half if we had converted some of those.”

The Wolverines increased the lead to 3-0 early in the second half as Ashworth looped a short drive that ticked high off the left post and into the goal. Chase (2-7-1, 0-3) answered with 21 minutes remaining on a Jon Hickman goal, but the Wolverines responded in the 71st minute as Smith buried a hard drive off the right wing.

“We had a little more composure offensively,” Trejo said. “It helped having Ben back and having him control things in midfield.”

Polk County travels Wednesday to East Rutherford for a 6 p.m. conference battle. That match is scheduled to be shown live on NFHS Network.