Polk County didn’t score a goal in the run of play on Monday night.
But man, can the Wolverines run.
They used speed and athleticism to set up attack after attack, fired off a number of good shots, and defeated East Henderson 3-2 in their home opener in G.M. Tennant Stadium.
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“We’re doing a little more transitioning quickly from the midfield,” Polk County coach George Alley said. “Last year we were possessing it a little more and knocking the ball around. Now it’s one-two and then we’re getting forward, which I like.”
That was evident from the very beginning. After a challenge at the 28:30 mark, Polk (3-0-1) had a throw-in that very nearly resulted in a point-blank shot. East Henderson (1-3) was able to poke it away, but Thomas Varnadore chased it down and fired it into the corner for a 1-0 lead.
Polk County dictated the course of play in the first half, and maintained the 1-0 lead until 9:40 to play, when Bryan Chavez was able to sneak in a goal to tie the match at 1-1. The stalemate didn’t last long – the Eagles were whistled for a penalty, and Cooper Meyer calmly buried the penalty kick for a 2-1 lead. The Wolverines never trailed again.
The did very nearly end up tied at the 25:15 mark, when Charlie Wagoner came out to challenge a shot and collided with an Eagles player. As the ball bounded free to an East Henderson player, Mason Hudson retreated back to the goal and poked a shot away to negate the scoring threat.
Meanwhile, Polk County had a number of chances in the second half to pad the lead, but Eagles keeper Fernando Miranda turned in a fantastic performance, making a number of outstanding saves down the stretch. East Henderson ran out of magic with 12:44 to play; off a corner kick, Meyer was able to break free and knock in his second goal of the match for a 3-1 lead.
“That keeper…,” Alley said with a shake of his head. “His reflexes are stunning. But we created some great chances. And we’ve scored on three or four set plays this year. When Cooper can slash around, he’s just deadly.”
The Wolverines needed the insurance, as Alan Resendiz Monter got free for a goal with 3:18 left to pull East Henderson to within one at 3-2. But Polk County was able to turn away a couple challenges down the stretch and kill the clock.
The game got a little chippy late, but even that’s something Alley didn’t mind seeing.
“Obviously I’m not really happy with the lack of discipline there,” he said. “But that’s what I told them after. Clearly we’ve shown we’ve got some fight in us. It was physical, and they bowed up a little bit. You like to see that out of your guys.”
