Madison nets four in Monessen’s win over California
By Dean Dellamalva Jr.
MVI Sports
It didn’t matter if the stadium lights were on or not. The Monessen boys soccer team just lit up the scoreboard instead.
Issues with the lights delayed the game with about 13 minutes left in the first half but it didn’t matter much as the Greyhounds found the back of the net in the shade of dusk and when the lights came back on in a 7-2 win over California in Section 4-A play Thursday.
Morgan Madison was unstoppable for Monessen (1-4, 1-4), scoring four first-half goals in the win. He netted each of his team’s first three tallies.
“I was very impressed with the way (Madison) played,” Monessen coach Donnie Caterino said. “I was happy with most of what he did, there were a couple passes he should have made, but we’re seeing improvements.”
The Greyhounds employed the long pass for many of their goals and scoring opportunities.
“For as long as our team has been together, long balls have been our strong suit,” Caterino said. “Some of the teams we play, it does not work on. We tried to take advantage of different game plans. In this one, the long ball was working so we stuck with it.”
The young Trojans’ defense had a hard time stopping those long passes and defending the Hounds’ speed. Being one of the few co-ed soccer teams in the WPIAL does not help either.
“When the opposition has one player that can outrun our entire team, it hurts us,” California coach Jess Britt said. “This is a rebuilding season for us, I have seven freshmen and eight girls. We are the only co-ed team in our section. We really are doing the best we can.”
Madison wasted little time getting Monessen on the board, scoring his first in the sixth minute. He dribbled up the right side past defenders, got into the goalkeepers’ box and put it past Cal sophomore keeper Alex Panckratz.
To read the rest of this story, please see a copy of Friday’s Mon Valley Independent, call 724-314-0035 to subscribe or subscribe to our online edition at https://e.monvalleyindependent.com.
