Wildcats come away with 2-2 draw at Spencerville, lots of positives (w/photo gallery)

By SEAN BLEVINS

Times sports editor

SPENCERVILLE — The Kenton boys soccer team made the trek out to Spencerville on Thursday for its fourth Hogg Creek Soccer League game, where they drew 2-2 and had a lot of positives. 

There were some big differences in quality of play between the first and second units, which is typical for most teams. The expected varsity starters put two shots in the back of the net and the second unit conceded two, including a late own goal. 

Still, Kenton head coach Jamie Bartlett came away impressed with several players on each unit. 

“It’s always nice to see who steps up when you are down some players,” Bartlett said. “I use the term a lot, it’s called depth building. Alex Miller and Chris Villa got a lot of minutes with the A-group tonight. It’s such an invaluable experience for them. They’re just out there learning.”

Kenton was without senior midfielder Ethan Yoder and freshman forward Gus Wingfield. 

Eighth grade midfielder Kyle Barrett stepped up in their absence and made some very good decisions with the ball. He was rewarded with an assist on Kenton’s second goal by redirecting a Micah Bowman throw-in close to the goal to set up an easy tap-in by sophomore forward Marlon Lopez.  

“We had a really young front three out there. We weren’t quite ready when we stepped out there, but I loved the progress I saw in the second half. The best thing about these kids is that they are resilient and they are coachable. When you tell them something, they go out there and do what you told them,” Bartlett said. 

Marlon “The Honduran Wonderkid” Lopez was a bit timid in the first half, but got much better throughout. His high press is coming along and he even stole the ball from the Spencerville goalkeeper once, although he sent the shot wide. Fellow Honduran Chris Lopez had some solid touches as well. 

For the game’s first goal, Kenton senior left back Troy Brown floated a 35-yard free kick past the Spencerville goalkeeper after seeing him 10 yards off his line. The goalkeeper managed to get his fingertips on it, but couldn’t hit it away from goal and the referee saw it cross the goal line. Brown also made some outstanding clearances and that is why he earned the inaugural Kenton Times Man Of The Match award. 

“That’s such a great asset to have on your team there, someone who can chip it in from 30-plus yards out. His presence on the back line helps us so much,” Bartlett said about Brown. 

Kenton senior forward Adam Coffman was stout up top, making the right reads and plays consistently. When he and Brown are motivated and confident, it adds a different element to this team. 

“Adam did a really nice job attacking in his role tonight. He was very confident on the ball, taking guys on,” Bartlett said. 

The longtime Kenton mentor was thrilled with what he saw from the first-team defense, noting the performances of Brown and senior fullback Hunter Taylor. He also shouted out junior fullback Cam Jesionowski, who is steadily growing into a key depth piece that should see major minutes if he continues to improve. Bartlett said he saw flashes from senior fullback Sam Chen.

The most impressive showing of the night arguably came from Kenton senior goalkeeper MJ Coulson. He was as aggressive as he’s been and in full command. 

“MJ back there makes such a big difference. The defense looked comfortable and he controlled them. He made several really nice saves when he came off his line,” Bartlett said. 

Freshman goalkeeper Hayden Holland saved a penalty kick in the second half to keep Kenton up 2-1, but a late own goal made it a 2-2 final. 

Bartlett said they will focus on fine-tuning their technical skills and more during the rest of the summer. He added that they are still in a “feeling out mode” where they are experimenting with what works and what doesn’t. 

“I thought the first-unit moved the ball really well until the final third. It’s the little things we have to work on. We need to make more runs and know when to make them. Once they learn those things, they are going to be dangerous,” Bartlett said. 

The Wildcats will have plenty of opportunities to get better in July before their season starts Aug. 11 at Allen East. 

Kenton’s next Hogg Creek game is July 13 at Fort Jennings at 7 p.m. They will make three separate day trips for a tournament in Yellow Springs from July 14-16, then go to a team camp at Ohio Wesleyan University the following week. They will cap July with a tournament in Strongsville.