By Andy Mason
Hagerstown Herald-Mail
WAYNESBORO — A 0-0 tie might not sound very exciting, but there’s a lot more to soccer than lighting up the scoreboard.
In the season opener for both teams, the Waynesboro and Mechanicsburg boys finished in a hard-fought, scoreless draw after 80 minutes of regulation and a pair of 10-minute, sudden-death overtime periods in a Mid-Penn Keystone Division matchup Saturday at Buchanan Automotive Stadium.
"Like I told my team in the end, that’s probably one of the better games I’ve seen in our stadium in the seven years I’ve coached," Waynesboro coach Brian Stum said. "When you match two good teams up like that, that’s the type of game you get. It’s a barn burner. There were good opportunities both directions and good defensive plays both directions. We just didn’t get the lucky bounce. We had opportunities, just didn’t capitalize. And the same goes for them.
"It was just one of those games that it was fun to be on the sidelines for."
Statistically, the teams were fairly even, with the host Indians finishing with advantages of 17-16 in shots and 9-5 in corner kicks.
Welcome to the Keystone
Waynesboro, no longer in the Colonial Division, played its first game as a member of the Keystone.
Last season, the Indians went 10-6-2 (7-4-1 Colonial). Improving on that winning percentage will be difficult, but it’s a welcomed challenge.
"Stepping into this division, we’re more in line with the size of schools we need to be playing versus being the big dog playing with smaller schools," Stum said. "It really helps us — the speed of play, the speed of the game, the physicality of the game, the whole nine yards.
"There were four district qualifiers last year and the state champ (Lower Dauphin) in this division, so it’s definitely a step up."
Goalless
Hayden Oldham led Waynesboro with 21 goals last season as a junior and was an All-Colonial first-team selection.
In his first game as a senior, the back of the net eluded him.
"They had a pretty good defense," he said. "Their defensive posture, I just couldn’t really figure it out."
Oldham finished with three shots, including a missile late in regulation that was just wide of the post.
"Sometimes the balls roll your way, sometimes they don’t," he said. "I was hoping to get one, but that’s all right. We’ll bounce back the next game."
Pitching shutouts
Both goalkeepers were on top of their games Saturday.
Waynesboro’s Bryson Shaull had seven saves, while the Wildcats’ Gavin Martinez made eight as each recorded a shutout.
Shaull, a junior, made a sensational save early in the first overtime period, knocking the would-be game winner over the crossbar.
"He was just able to get a palm on it," Stum said. "He does a phenomenal job for us. He has the ability to cover all 24 feet. At times, you just see this hand coming out of nowhere."
‘Adrenaline rush’
Seniors Jackson Cordell and Josh Clapsaddle led the Indians’ defense, which never cracked.
"There’s definitely some pressure," Cordell said of the overtime action. "But I’ve played varsity three years now and we seem to play overtime a lot, so I’m kind of used to it.
"It’s not the result we wanted, but it definitely could have been worse. Defensively, we held together pretty well."
Oldham said he thrives on the sudden-death excitement.
"I think it’s one of the best things in soccer, going into overtime. It’s an adrenaline rush," he said. "You just really have to count on your team and have 11 people who want to win the game."
Proud coach
"I’m very proud of my team’s effort," Stum said. "From top to bottom, it was 100 precent out of every guy. Some of them took themselves out of their comfort zone and played at a level that we asked them to step up to. As a coach, that’s all you can ask of your players.
"Our defense, I can’t say enough about," he said. "Up top and midfield, we have some work to do, but we’ve definitely improved over years past."
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Indian soccer opens with exciting draw - Waynesboro Record Herald
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