Ravens Come Up Just Short in Thriller Against Bulldogs

Hillcrest Soccer vs Mediapolis 
Hillcrest 3, Mediapolis 4

In a spirited, hotly contested, and entertaining match, the Ravens fell 3-4 to the Mediapolis Bulldogs. With the wind at their backs the first half, Mediapolis put a fair amount of pressure on the Ravens, but the back line of Bryce Bailey, Kale Bailey, Lincoln Miller and Isaac Birky held Mepo at bay through 18 minutes when they scored on a nice crossing ball. Mepo added to their score with 10 minutes left in the half after a mix-up in the box led to the ball getting knocked into the goal. The Ravens responded, creating some pressure despite going into the wind as Micah Gerber, Mason Helmuth and Mason Bender created several runs at the goal. With a little over two minutes left in the half, the Ravens earned their first corner kick of the match. Jesse Blossom responded by curling the corner kick into the net (an olimpico) to make the half-time score 1-2. 

The second half opened a bit shakily for both teams as Mepo got their third goal two minutes into the half. Less than a minute later, Lincoln Miller sent a ball forward to Micah Gerber, who beat his defender and sent the ball to the corner of the goal to make the score 2-3. With the wind at their backs, the Ravens created several good chances. With about 13 minutes left in the match, Seth Ours sent a ball to Gerber, only to see him plowed over by the goalie just outside the penalty box. The Mepo goalie was given a yellow card, but mysteriously, Mepo was given the direct kick. Four minutes later, Mason Helmuth chipped a ball over the defender to Rowan Miller, who was knocked over by the goalie. The Ravens were rewarded with a penalty kick, but for some reason, the keeper was not given a second yellow. Isaac Beachy calmly stepped to the mark and converted the kick to tie the match 3-3. In the closing minutes, the Ravens were whistled for a foul about twenty yards out. The direct kick found the head of a Mepo player, who redirected it into the goal for the final 3-4 score.  Kyle Neuschwander tallied 8 saves on the evening. 

Hillcrest drops to 6-3-2 overall and 3-2-2 in conference play. The Ravens travel to Central Lee Saturday morning for their final regular-season conference match. 

In JV action, the Ravens picked up a 1-0 win. The goal was scored by Isaac Beachy on an assist from Charlie Hughes. Garrett Bontrager was in goal and made several key saves to keep the shutout.