Most soccer teams know going into a game players they have to mark and can’t leave any space for.
While Ryle’s Diego Hoenderkamp and Brice Denigan certainly fit that label, the Raiders have plenty of weapons that concern an opponent.
It was evident on Thursday in the Raiders (22-2-1) state quarterfinal contest with North Laurel, blanking the Jaguars with a 6-0 victory as they return to the state semifinals for the second straight season.
They got goals from four different players, Hoenderkamp with one an assist while Josh Line scored two goals, Owen Schierberg with another and Cooper Neace with the other as the younger players on the team got to close the game out.
“We have several guys that can score. Brice didn’t score tonight, so we had guys that picked it up,” Raiders coach Stephen Collins said. “We were able to kind of spread the wealth a little bit. I think that’s one of the things that makes us a little bit dangerous is because we do have so many guys that could find the net.”
The Jaguars (15-6-3) made the three-plus hour trip north to Union and were greeted by Schierberg’s goal in the seventh minute. It appeared to be a cross from about 35 yards out, but the ball slipped through North Laurel keeper Aydn Ebersole’s hands and into the goal. It was a blemish on Ebersole’s night, but his 12 saves kept things from getting even further away.
“We had some great shots. Their goalie made some really good saves tonight,” Collins said. “He had two or three really nice saves before that goal from Owen. I don’t think it makes a difference in the game on that one.”
A three-goal flurry from the Raiders followed in the 21st minute for the next 11 minutes.
First it was Hoenderkamp chipping one in over a stretched out Ebersole, Josh Line following with a goal in the 30th minute on a Hoenderkamp assist.
Anes Smajlovic collected a loose ball off a corner kick and quickly made things 4-0 at the 32 minute mark.
Line added another three minutes into the second half, the two goal performance a sigh of relief for Line as he had been close in the Raiders last couple postseason games.
“I knew one was coming,” Line said. “It was just a matter of time. I was aiming for the top right the whole time. The first goal was a great ball by Diego and just happened that I finished it and was at the right place at the right time. We were just able to keep the ball and move the ball well tonight and that’s how we took down our opponent.”
Line nearly had a hat trick, his free kick earlier in the first half punched away at the last second from a diving Ebersole. Now he has about 24 hours to prepare for the Raiders football game against Simon Kenton for a district title, Line as the primary kicker.
“Hope I get to lift a trophy tomorrow,” Line said.
Ryle dominated possession for nearly the entire 80 minutes, the 28-4 shot differential case in point. The Raiders put 17 shots on target to the Jaguars three.
Already without sophomore Marcos Hoenderkamp due to injury and seeing Denigan needing help off in the first half but later returning, Collins called off the dogs midway through the second half to get his reserves some run.
“At this point and time it’s about staying healthy for next week and getting some guys a little rest. We’ve had four games in nine days and that’s a pretty heavy schedule for us,” Collins said. “We’re excited to have some extra days of rest, that will really help us.”
Neace’s goal came in the 74th minute to finish things out for the evening and even beat the downpour that came minutes after the game.
The shutout was Ryle’s 16th this season and seventh of the postseason in eight games. They’ve outscored opponents 20-1 so far in the postseason. Raiders keeper Landon Barth made three saves in the first half, Jack Nieman coming on in the second half with about 20 minutes to play, but the Raiders didn’t allow a single shot in the game’s final 40 minutes.
Now comes a trip to Lexington for the semifinals and a match with St. Xavier.
“It’s the top of the ladder. We got there last year and we’re really hoping to go down there and do some damage. We’ve got a tall task, probably the top team in the state in St. X, but that’s where we want to be and so hopefully we can put a good game on the field and we’ll see what happens,” Collins said.
They’ll play on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. Ryle is taking a 23-game unbeaten streak with them.