On the heels of suffering its first county loss against Hammond last week, Glenelg came into its match-up on Tuesday against Long Reach knowing that a quick start would be critical.
Ramzy Ahmed made sure the Gladiators got it.
The senior forward ran onto a through ball played to him by midfielder Michael Farace and buried a shot in transition less than a minute into the game for what proved to be the lone goal in a Glenelg victory, 1-0.
"We really hammered that down that we wanted to get going from the start and attack them quickly," Ahmed said. "So right from the beginning, right from the first touch, I saw it coming. I thought we would get an early chance. So then it was just a matter of being ready for it and finishing."
Glenelg improves to 2-1 in county play and 2-3 overall, while Long Reach slips to 1-2 and 2-4. And, while the Gladiators had some lapses against a Lightning team that produced some quality chances in the second half, coach Brian Wonderly said coming away with the result was extremely important.
"Right now, nobody is running away with the county and, as we've seen first hand, there are going to be lots of close games. So results are huge and you've got to be ready and show up every single game," Wonderly said. "Hopefully today will be a step forward in the right direction and we will be able to get more of these wins."
After Ahmed broke the ice early on, the two teams traded possession and chances the rest of the way. Both goalies — Glenelg's Zach Rizk and Long Reach's Dany Miranda — made some critical stops to keep the score from fluctuating.
Glenelg's defense was particularly impressive, continuing to improve after allowing a combined seven goals in its first three games. Over the last two, the team has surrendered just one goal.
"We have Guy (Mobeka), who has been in that center back position for a couple years now, and then a couple guys outside of him who are in their first years starting on varsity. So definitely every week we are seeing that improvement from that group," Wonderly said. "You can see them gaining confidence and really stepping up of late."
Glenelg will now attempt to keep its momentum going on the road against Wilde Lake on Thursday. Long Reach, meanwhile, will return to action on Thursday against River Hill.
Glenelg 1, Long Reach 0
Goal: G – Ahmed.
Assist: G – Farace.
Saves: G – Rizk 5; LR – Miranda 7.
Half: 1-0 G.
Other scores:
River Hill 2, Centennial 1
The Hawks (1-2, 2-4) got a pair of goals from Cameron Coates, both on assists from Justin Harris, and then held off a late push from the Eagles to earn its first county win.
Ryan Maher headed home a feed from Ammar Narmouq on a free kick with 13 minutes left in regulation, but that's as close as Centennial (2-1, 4-2) was able to get.
River Hill goalie Patrick Sherlock made five saves on the way to earning the win.
Goals: RH – Coates 2; C – Maher.
Assists: RH – Harris 2; C – Narmouq.
Saves: RH – Sherlock 5; C – N/A.
Mt. Hebron 2, Howard 1
The Vikings (2-1, 4-1) got both their goals from Trevor Namie, coming off assists from Michael Yacynych and Johnny Linsenmeyer, to earn the victory over the Lions.
Mark Bruner provided the lone goal for Howard (2-2, 3-3).
Torey Jones made 10 saves in goal for Mt. Hebron in the win.
Goals: MH – Namie 2; Ho – Bruner.
Assists: MH – Yacynych, Linsenmeyer; Ho – Fields.
Saves: MH – Jones 10; Ho – Hartlove 8.
Reservoir 1, Oakland Mills 0
The Gators (2-2, 2-2) made the most of a goal by Kyree Akinkuowo, off an assist from Aaron Kaplan, to earn the victory over the Scorpions. Sean Foley made three saves for Reservoir on the way to securing the shutout.
Overall, the Gators ended up with 21 shots — nine of which were on goal.
The loss was the first in county play for Oakland Mills (2-1, 3-3).
Goal: Re – Akinkuowo.
Assist: Re – Kaplan.
Saves: Re – Foley 3; OM – Baldwin 8.
Hammond 4, Atholton 2
The Golden Bears (2-1, 3-3) earned their second straight county victory, coming back in the second half on the strength of three straight goals over the course of a 15-minute span. Anderson Mejia-Marroquin paced the offense with two goals and an assist, while Anthony Perez and Ivan Osemobor each added a goal and an assist apiece.
Jeremy Stewart made six saves in goal for Hammond on the way to securing the victory.
Atholton fell to 0-3 in county play and 2-4 overall.