Miller Meets 300 Milestone As Ravens Remain Unbeaten
Hillcrest vs Danville 4.18.2024
Hillcrest 2-1
Micah Gerber tallied two long distance goals to lead the Ravens to a hard fought 2-1 victory over Danville at home. As both teams were settling into the game, Seth Ours intercepted a pass, then sent the ball to Micah Gerber. From about 25 yards out, Gerber crossed the ball towards the back post hoping someone could get their head to the ball. Instead, the ball hung up in the wind sailing just beyond the goalies hands for the 1-0 lead five minutes into the game.
The defensive unit anchored by Bryce Bailey and Mason Helmuth, along with Isaac Birky and Lincoln Miller, and midfielders Mason Bender and Ours, did an excellent job of shutting down a potent Danville offense keeping Danville off the scoreboard at the half. Andrew Kaufman recorded three saves before leaving the field with an injury with 12 minutes left in the half. Kyle Neuschwander stepped into goal the rest of the match recording five saves on the night.
In the second half, Danville pushed hard to score, finally succeeding eight minutes into the half on a curling shot from distance. Gerber stepped up again, after Lincoln Miller intercepted a pass, then sent the ball to Gerber who for the second time in the match hit a shot from distance, sending it by the goalie. Both teams worked hard to create chances as time slipped away and pressure mounted. Jesse Blossom stepped into a defensive mid spot, while Ours pushed forward as the team attempted to find the optimal balance between offense and defense. As time ticked away Rowan Miller gathered in a ball from near midfield, took a dribble and sent a shot over the keeper’s head. Most observers thought the ball crossed the line into the goal before the desperate goalie dove to throw the ball out of the goal. However the referee disallowed the goal and since goal line technology isn’t in place, the game went on as the final seconds ticked off the clock.
Hillcrest moves to 5-0 overall and 4-0 in conference. The team returns to action Friday night, hosting Cedar Valley Christian with a 6:30 start time.
MILLER MEETS 300 MILESTONE AS RAVENS REMAIN UNBEATEN
Title and Article credit: Zach Ulin/KCII
With a lot on the line Thursday night on the pitch in Kalona, the Hillcrest Academy Raven boys soccer team delivered, scoring a key Southeast Iowa Superconference victory over visiting Danville/New London 2-1. In a back-and-forth 80-minutes, it was the Ravens who climbed on top first, with a Micah Gerber chip-in goal over the Bear’s keeper to put the Ravens ahead 1-0. Hilcrest would hold that lead at the break. Early after half, it was a Danville response that tied the game at one. Five minutes later, the Ravens see-sawed back on top, on another Gerber tally, his sixth of the year, as he wound up from deep and sent a shot over the keepers head into the back of the net for what would be the game winner. The Raven defense locked down the last 25 minutes of action to secure the win. After the contest, Gerber joined KCII Sports to talk about his goals and defensemen Bryce Bailey talked about what his unit did to get Hillcrest to the finish line.
Gerber said, “(On the first goal) I heard the coaches say to cross it. I tried crossing it. It hit off my foot wrong and went over the goalie. A chip-in. I thought ‘Oops!’. (On the second goal) I got the ball, shot it, and it actually went in. It felt great!”
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