Aaron Radford needed some relief.
Tuesday night at French Field, the Kentwood High boys soccer coach finally got some. Behind a pair of goals from sophomore midfielder Chad Fuller and another strong defensive performance by goalkeeper Rodney Greiling, the Conquerors throttled Federal Way 6-0 in a South Puget Sound League North Division soccer game.
“We found the net, finally,” Radford said.
Though it was Kentwood’s third win in its last four games, finding the net has been a difficult task thus far this season for the Conquerors. In their previous five games, the Conquerors netted a total of six goals, but still managed three wins during that span.
Tuesday, Kentwood (5-3-1 with 16 points in league) didn’t waste any time jumping on the Eagles as Stefan Bangsund split the pipes in the 13th minute. Less than two minutes later, Fuller scored the first of his two goals.
But it wasn’t until the second half when the Conquerors fully kicked it into gear.
“I thought, overall, we actually struggled with our possessions in the first half,” Radford said. “They outplayed us in the first half.”
And in the second?
“We kind of dominated the run of play and deflated them.”
Sergio Mejia, Eric Alonzo and Bryan Carlson added goals for Kentwood. Greiling notched the shutout in goal, his second in a row and fourth of the season.
The win was key for the Conquerors, who don’t play again until Tuesday’s showdown at French Field against first-place Kentridge. The win keeps Kentwood, the defending SPSL North champs, very much alive for one of the four playoff berths. Though, it will go down to the wire, Radford conceded, as the top six teams went into Friday with four, five or six wins. The competitive balance has left little separation.
“The league is so balanced. For us to really finish (with a playoff berth) I don’t think we can repeat a 4-3-1 record (in the second half) and make it,” Radford said. “I think we’re going to have to turn one of those losses into a win. If we can turn a loss into a win and get a 5-2-1 record in the second half, I think we definitely have a good shot at getting into the playoffs.”
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