Gallatin sunk by Soccer Ads
KNOXVILLE — A sophomore duo led Farragut High School’s boys soccer team to victory Friday afternoon, April 5.
But the win didn’t come easily for the Admirals because the match was an exercise in frustration at times.
Zach Lowe had a hat trick, while fellow sophomore Timi Omitaomu had three assists to lead FHS to a 4-1 victory over Gallatin at Bill Young Field in the Bearden Invitational.
The Admirals, who found themselves embroiled in a 0-0 tie at halftime, didn’t have their best match — having to play on a football field. That hinders Farragut’s possession game.
“We can’t play our game on these short fields,” said Lowe, who tallied the game’s first goal in the 68th minute Friday. “This field is long enough, but it’s not wide enough for us.
“And it’s not just the size, it’s playing on turf.”
Farragut head coach Ray Dover echoed Lowe’s sentiments.
“When we play on these small pitches, when you play on football fields, it’s a different game,” Dover said. “I told the guys at halftime that we just needed to move the ball up the rug fast.
“I thought we could’ve scored goals in the first four or five minutes, but Gallatin has a good keeper and he’s going to Maryville (College) next year.”
The Admirals (6-2-1) and the Green Wave (3-4-2) played to a standstill in the opening half, as Gallatin goalkeeper Mychal Manfred made six point-blank saves during the first 40 minutes. Farragut netminder Max Kaplan, however, saw just three shots in the first half and steered those aside with relative ease.
The Green Wave continued to hang tough just after halftime, but Gallatin’s lack of depth proved to be its demise in this match.
When Lowe scored his first goal, it opened the floodgates for the Ads, who peppered Manfred with 15 shots. He stopped all but four, and that left the FHS players exasperated at times. “This was one of those games where we didn’t play our best, but we won the game,” Dover said.
Lowe scored three goals in a five-minute span, while Omitaomu was credited with helping on all three markers.
While the Green Wave managed just six shots in the match, Farragut’s Wes Jeter scored the game’s final marker in the 78th minute.
