The middle of September is typically a little early for must-win games, but — considering Mt. Hebron and River Hill were each coming off losses to open county play two days earlier — Thursday's showdown between the two rivals certainly had a little more on the line than usual.
Ultimately, it was the visiting Vikings that got the needed bounce-back victory and, in the process, did something the program hadn't done in seven years. Johnny Linsenmeyer scored off a feed from Michael Yacynych in the second half, providing the lone goal in a 1-0 win that marks the team's first triumph over River Hill since 2009.
"We don't like to overly emphasize one particular game, but given the circumstances — us coming off the loss to a good Reservoir team — it was great to get a result and particularly against these guys," said interim head coach Garrett Nickles, who was filling in for Mike Linsenmeyer. "It's always a battle with River Hill. I overheard one of our guys saying 'This game doesn't usually come down to skill, it comes down to will.' And that's completely true, as you saw today. It came down to who could dig down and make a play."
Mt. Hebron improved to 1-1 county play and 3-1 overall, while River Hill slipped to 0-2 and 1-4. Hawks' coach Matt Shagogue said afterward that he is trying to keep his guys positive following a game that was toe-to-toe the entire way, aside from the one play that led to Mt. Hebron's goal.
"I thought defensively today we did pretty well, it was just one lapse and a heck of a play there. I give them a ton of credit … they finished their chance," Shagogue said. "And sure, it's tough to have one lapse cost you, but that's what good teams will do. They take advantage.
"It's tough to find victories at 1-4, but I do think we played well and things just didn't end up working out for us tonight."
After a scoreless first half that was void of any real quality chances for either squad, Mt. Hebron began building its attack a little better in the early stages after halftime
Then, nine minutes out of the break, Yacynych delivered an effort play that proved to be the difference. Winning a footrace to a ball played into the right corner, he played a perfect cross to Linsenmeyer cutting into the box for a one-touch volley into the net.
"In practice, (coach) Linsenmeyer always tells us to bust our butt and get to the ball, and I knew I had a chance to get there," Yacynych said. "I knew River Hill gave up on it, and I knew I could slip in behind them, and I knew Johnny would make that run right into the middle. So I just had to get there, hit it into him and Johnny took care of the rest."
The one-goal cushion proved to be all that the Vikings' defense needed. Torey Jones finished with three saves in goal and the guys in front of him cleared everything else out of harms way.
Yacynych said the team's response in the face of adversity was everything he could have asked for as a senior.
"After Reservoir, it was going to be how would we react to losing. And I thought we reacted well, we came out strong," Yacynych said. "No one on this team has beaten River Hill before, and we knew this was our last chance."
Mt. Hebron 1, River Hill 0
Goal: MH – Linsenmeyer.
Assist: MH – Yacynych.
Saves: MH – Jones 3; RH – Sherlock 4.
Half: 0-0.
Other scores:
Hammond 1, Glenelg 0
The Golden Bears bounced back from a loss to Wilde Lake on Tuesday in the team's county opener by earning a shutout win over the Gladiators. Zach Lippit provided the game's lone score, off an assist from Brennan Reamer, while Jeremy Stewart made six saves in goal to secure the clean sheet. Glenelg, which defeated River Hill on Tuesday, falls to 1-1 in county play this season.
Oakland Mills 1, Atholton 0
Vladimir Bruno continued his offensive barrage of late by accounting for the game's only goal off a feed from Nick Fairbanks. The Scorpions improved to 2-0 in county play, while Atholton fell to 0-2.