Very very exciting game. I went into the game not really cheering for anyone so I'll try to give an unbiased view of the game. First off, most everyone would have to admit that NW got unlucky, especially in the second half. A lot of the should be attributed to Jenkins. Spring Valley scored first when Antoine beat both the keeper and center back (perfect ball from Eamon Pendland) and poked the ball in from about the 18. Second goal was an amazing individual effort from Antoine. Took a counter attack ball from one 18 to the other and finished it beautifully. Ran past about 4 kids in the process. Up til that point NW had had the majority of possession, but not by a crazy amount. NW finally woke up after the second goal and started pounding SV. Scored on a pretty strike off a corner. Stillman I believe. NW kept pounding and Enzo earned a PK. The PK was inevitable after how much time they spent in the box with the ball at their feet. NW continued to attack and SV only managed to cross the half about three times until the final 4 minutes. The final goal was scored on a MAGNIFICENT cross by Michael crazy last name. He was about 18 out and I definitely expected a shot, but he whipped a ball to about the 6 curving away from the keep and Flynn buried it in the back of the net.
The players that stood out to me were:
Davis Jenkins- you put almost any other keeper inbetween that pipes that game and its 7-3. He made a number of amazing saves. You can't say enough about the way that kid played tonight.
Enzo Martinez- Despite not scoring, he was always a threat. He is EASILY that most skilled player in the state no questions asked.
Antoine Parrish- Deadly speed with a strong foot. Very good first half. Didn't do quite as much aside from the one break in the second. Incredible athlete for a freshman and with a little bit of polishing will be an amazing player
Parker...- Did an excellent job on Kropp. Like people have been saying all year long. If you don't let Kropp play simple balls to feet, Alex and Enzo won't have it as easy. Alex and Enzo definitely had their chances, but Parker's play definitely helped out back there.
Zach Houghton- Very composed center back. He had to cover for his two marking backs several times after they were beat and did an excellent job keeping his feet and not stabbing in very dangerous situations.
If I were to give out and MVP or game ball or anything of that sort it would definitely go to Davis Jenkins. He kept that game from gettin out of control many times. I know that must be a tough one to swallow for NW, but SV did what they had to do to win. Congrats to both teams on a very exciting final.
