Daviess County hit the road for a short trip across town to play Apollo on Thursday night. The Eagles played host for a district matchup at New Eagle Stadium for the second straight week, this time hoping to find themselves on the smiling side of the scoreboard. Unfortunately for the home side, it was not to be, and, as the final whistle was blown, the Panthers (6-0, 3-0) dismantled the Eagles (2-4, 1-2) by a score of 4-1.
It was a fast start for the Panthers in the first half, as Cameron Bell pounced on a well-placed ball from the right boot of Braden Dant to slot home a goal under 90 seconds after the opening whistle. As Daviess County continued to dominate possession early in the game, it was Bell again who scored to double the Panthers lead, this time the beneficiary of some nifty footwork from Ahmed Abdullahi. Bell, a sophomore, has been a revelation early this season for the Panthers, and the opening two goals of Thursday’s contest were no exception to his recent run of form.
As the half wore on, Daviess County looked to add to the lead, while Apollo was left to defend without the ball for long stretches. Finally, with 3:22 left on the first half clock, junior forward Sam Glover pounced on a 50-50 ball in the box to net a third for the visitors. Apollo’s defense was happy to hear the halftime whistle, minimizing the deficit to just 3-0 despite sustained pressure from Daviess County.
Though County controlled the possession game in the first 40 minutes, the Eagles offense finally awoke shortly after the break. After several shots on goal throughout the second half, Astere Irunva found a way to get the home team on the board with just over 10 minutes to play. Irunva followed up a great effort on a free kick from an Eagles player, and as the County keeper was unable to clear his lines, the ball fell right to the sophomore’s feet for a thunderous shot into the back of the net.
Perhaps the most impressive athletic feet of the night came in celebration of his goal, as Irunva launched himself into an incredible backward somersault with a full twist and a landing that echoed throughout New Eagle Stadium as the roars of approval rained down.
Unfortunately for Apollo, it was Dax Sandifer who put any thought of a magical comeback to bed with a decisive moment in front of goal for the Panthers with 6:29 to play in the game. After receiving a well-placed cross from Abdullahi, the senior volleyed the fourth County goal of the game into the center of the net. Shortly thereafter the final whistle sounded and the Panthers were headed home with a 4-1 win.
It was a tale of two halves according to Daviess County head coach Doug Sandifer, as he felt completely split in two by the result that played out in front of him.
“The first half we did a lot of good things and I was really happy,” Sandifer said. “I thought we might have had even a couple more goals if the ball would have bounced a bit differently. The second half was an absolute disaster. Credit to Apollo for battling, as they did a good job keeping us off balance with better pressure. In the end, we are happy to get out of here with a district win and we will keep working hard in practice.”
On the opposite sideline it was more of the same, as Apollo head coach Ryan Poirer noted the same Jeckyll-Hyde performance from his bunch.
“I wish we would have played the first half like we did the second half,” Poirer said. “They had a hard time with the pressure we were able to apply in that second half, and I think the kids saw that the pressure led to more chances. It was fairly deflating to give up a goal as early as we did, but I’m proud of the guys for bouncing back in the second half. Hopefully we will come out with that same second half intensity from the jump when we play Daviess County at their place.”
Up next for the Eagles is a home tie with University Heights on Saturday at 10:00 a.m. For the Panthers, it will be a weekend of rest, followed by a matchup away to Bowling Green on Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m.
