The Collinsville Kahoks wasted little time Wednesday showing its recent five-match losing streak was not going to keep them down.
Grant Bauer breaks down a Triad defender Oct. 8, 2014 / photo by Roger Starkey
Luis DeAnda struck only 3 minutes 37 seconds into the match to give the Kahoks (7-9-1) a lead they would not relinquish, going on to beat Triad 4-1. Brendan Rosenburg added to the lead eight minutes in, to give CHS a 2-0 lead, which it carried into halftime.
CHS started the second half dominating possession, just as it had the entire first half. In the 49th minute, Jordan Smith settled a ball three yards in front of the goalkeeper, spun, and kissed a shot just inside the far post to give the Kahoks a commanding 3-0 lead.
The Knights (8-6-3) tried to make a game of it when they scored with just more than 24 minutes remaining to cut the deficit to 3-1. Grant Bauer nearly became a one-man wrecking crew the remainder of the way, repeatedly breaking free for shots, but he could not manage to find the back of the net.
Bauer’s efforts paid off for Zach Stenger in the 78th minute. Bauer again broke free and hammered a shot from 15 yards out that ricocheted off the crossbar and to the waiting foot of Stenger, who volleyed home his first goal of the season into an open net.
DeAnda and Rosenburg’s goals were also their first of the season. Bauer notched a pair of assists and Smith added one. Smith and Bauer are tied for the team lead with 12 points. Rosenburg also added an assist.
Head Coach Myles Hensler called the victory a good team win, with many of the substitutes playing quality minutes.
The five-match losing streak was hard on the Kahoks’ moral, Hensler said, but the team took a fresh perspective into the match Wednesday.
“Tonight, we came out and said, ‘let’s reset, let’s start from a new point and try to win our last four games,'” Hensler said.
With three games remaining until the Regionals begin in Collinsville on Oct. 22, Hensler said the team is treating every game as a must win.
“We have to get into that mindset because, once regionals hit, anything can happen and you have to give it everything you’ve got for 80 minutes,” Hensler said.
Collinsville will play its seventh match in as many days at 6:45 p.m. Thursday when it hosts Windsor at Kahok Stadium.
