West Lauderdale coach makes point in win
By By Tony Krausz
assistant sports editor
COLLINSVILLE West Lauderdale boys' soccer coach Bud Brown wanted to send a message to his players Monday night in the Knights' 5-1 win at home over Philadelphia (3-3, 3-2 Division 1A-3A).
With West (14-1, 6-0 Division 1A-3A) holding a 2-0 lead, Brown pulled all of his starters, including the Knights' goalkeeper, off the field with 29:48 left in the game.
The mass substitution to teach a lesson didn't look like it was such a good idea a minute into the experiment.
West's subs, the junior varsity squad, gave up a goal 60 seconds after taking the field to Tornadoes striker Tyson Stribbling on a break away to cut the Knights' lead to 2-1 at the game's 51-minute mark.
The Knights junior varsity players settled into the game after allowing the quick goal, and they got one back for West.
In the game's 56th minute, Zac Foreman notched a goal for West to take a 3-1 lead. Foreman scored into an open net after he gathered a failed clearing kick that bounced off a Philadelphia defender.
The junior varsity stayed on the field until just 14:15 remained in the game, and the substitute players were able to keep Philadelphia off the scoreboard for the rest of there time in the match.
West goalkeeper Roger Walker, who replaced starting goalkeeper Scott Truesdale, stopped 4-of-5 shots. Truesdale made six saves in net for the Knights.
When the Knights' starting line up re-entered the game, they showed their coach that his message came across loud and clear.
West tallied a goal three minutes after the starters were inserted back onto the field. Knights midfielder Zach Chisolm scored with a shot from the top of the Tornadoes' goal box that drifted over the goalkeeper's head for a 4-1 lead at the game's 68-minute mark.
Knights striker Anthony Thomas added another goal at the 70-minute mark scoring off a corner kick form Michael Pogue to take a four-goal lead.
In the opening half, Thomas tallied West's first goal scoring from the right wing off a throw in the game's 10th minute.
Pogue gave the Knights a 2-0 lead entering the half, as his shot from 20 yards out trickled through the Tornadoes goalkeeper's legs at the 35-minute mark.
The Knights continue their season on the road against Newton County on Thursday. The West boys' team will start its game after the girls' match, which is slated to kick off at 6 p.m.
