Rowan cruises past St. Pat 6-0

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Rowan cruises past St. Pat 6-0

By Brad Laux

Sept. 4 -- Alan Evans’ team is on a roll.

The head coach of the Rowan County boys’ soccer squad saw his club raise its unbeaten streak to nine straight games on Tuesday night as the Vikings whitewashed St. Patrick 6-0 in Morehead.

Rowan County (6-0-3) won for the fifth time in its last six outings and notched its fourth shutout this season. Things are going so well for the Vikings that they have only given up one goal in their last five games, a span of 400 minutes.

Conversely, St. Patrick (5-5) dropped its third straight contest and fourth in its last five games.

Replenishing their lineup with waves of fresh substitutes, the Vikings gained control of the midfield and used their depth to out-shoot the Saints 33-10, including 18-6 in the opening 40 minutes and then 15-4 in the second half. Rowan County also finished the night with a 9-1 edge in corner kicks.

Senior forwards Sebastian Taylor and Jon Lacy each scored twice as the Vikings tallied three goals in each half.

The first 20 minutes was fairly even, although the hosts held a 12-5 advantage in shots. Taylor broke the scoring drought after Larry Whelan played a ball forward, which forced St. Patrick goalkeeper Derrick McCall to come out of the net. Taylor won the challenge and tapped the ball to his right and over the goal line from 12 yards out in the 24th minute.

Seven minutes later, Lacy dribbled around two defenders and kicked the ball to the left of McCall for a 2-0 Viking lead. Luke Thaxton was credited with the assist on the play.

The hosts surged ahead 3-0 with five minutes remaining in the half when Trevor Newsome dribbled into the box, with his last touch bouncing off a Saint defender, and unassisted knocked the ball inside the right goal post from five yards out.

The Vikings increased their advantage to 5-0 with two quick scores in the opening four minutes of the second half. Thaxton began the surge with a shot that ricocheted off McCall which Taylor gathered and kicked over the goal line. Just 15 seconds later, Lacy tallied his second score of the night after taking a Newsome pass and dribbling through the defense before blasting in a shot from 12 yards out.

Rowan County made wholesale changes with fewer than 30 minutes to play, including inserting Jordan Carpenter into the net. But, the Viking reserves added one final goal as Aaron Fuller headed in a Whelan cross from the right side in the 62nd minute.

Taylor led all players with eight shots; Newsome added six, while Cory Jodrey paced St. Patrick with five. Carpenter and Ty Alderman each made one save in the Viking net. McCall was credited with six saves for the Saints.

The contest ended a Rowan County three-game home stand. The Vikings next head out to play in the Nelson County Invitational where they will open with state-ranked Kentucky Country Day on Friday at 5:30 p.m. Rowan County concludes the trip with Sunday games against host Nelson County at 11 a.m. and Marion County at 3 p.m. The Vikings are back in Morehead on Tuesday when they will meet Scott County at 7:30 p.m.

St. Patrick, which was playing its second straight contest away from home, will continue on the road for its next six outings, beginning with Walton-Verona on Friday at 5:30 p.m. The Saints return to Maysville to host Fleming County on Sept. 27.

Score
St. Pat 0 0 = 0
Rowan 3 3 = 6

Goals
RC -- Sebastian Taylor (Larry Whelan) 23:17 (1-0)
RC -- Jon Lacy (Luke Thaxton) 30:17 (2-0)
RC -- Trevor Newsome (unassisted) 35:00 (3-0)
RC -- Taylor (Thaxton) 42:57 (4-0)
RC -- Lacy (Newsome) 43:12 (5-0)
RC -- Aaron Fuller (Whelan) 61:22 (6-0)

Stats
Shots: Rowan 33 (Taylor 8, Newsome 6), St. Pat 10 (C. Jodrey 5, Applegate 3)
Corners: Rowan 9, St. Pat 1
Saves: Rowan 1 (Alderman, Carpenter), St. Pat 6 (McCall)
Fouls: Rowan 9, St. Pat 3
Offside: Rowan 4, St. Pat 0
Cards: St. Pat 1 (YC – Applegate 8:24)

Pre-game notes: St. Patrick (5-4) at Rowan County (5-0-3) boys' soccer at 7 p.m. Vikings are on an eight-game unbeaten streak. It will be the fourth straight meeting between the two teams in Morehead. Rowan County won the last two (2-0 in 2009 and 3-0 in 2011). St. Patrick won 3-1 in 2007 at Rowan and 6-2 in 2006 at home. The Vikings are 2-0-1 at home this year. Rowan County is playing the final outing of a three-game home stand. The Saints have dropped their last two games and three of their last four. It will be the second contest of an eight-game road trip for St. Patrick, which is 2-3 away from home this year.

See videos: St. Patrick coach Allan Crump, Rowan County coach Alan Evans, Rowan County senior midfielder Trevor Newsome.