BOYS SOCCER: Oxford sneaks past Rochester in 1-0 upset
BY DAN STICKRADT
SENIOR EDITOR
dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
Twitter: @LocalSportsFans
OXFORD — Soccer can often be an odd, quirky game.
A team can dominate play and control possession only to come up on the wrong side on the scoresheet.
Such was the case Tuesday night at Oxford.
The host Wildcats were forced back on their heels for most of their game with Rochester, as the Falcons more than dominated play. Oxford still found a way to take advantage of a miscue and notch the upset of previously unbeaten Rochester, 1-0, in OAA White Division play.
Oxford (2-2-1, 2-0-0) moved into first place in the nine-school division despite attempting just one shot the entire second half.
As it turned out, it was lethal.
“That’s soccer,” smiled first-year Oxford coach Adam Bican. “We knew we weren’t going to get very many chances the way the game was going. We learned just to be patient and when an opportunity does come, try to capitalize on it.”
Pushed up into the midfield, senior Aiden Benson scored the game’s only goal. Intercepting a pass, he lofted a spinning kick from 40 yards out into the air and caught Rochester sophomore goalkeeper Tommy Ferrell napping way off his line. The ball sailed into the open net before Ferrell could retreat to the goal line.
That goal came wit 7:09 to play, but it was more than enough for Oxford. Rochester attempted five more shots after that point but the Falcons still could not convert.
Rochester controlled play for around 95 percent of the game and consistently applied pressure on the Oxford defense. The Falcons maintained a 19-3 overall shots edge, including 8-2 with shots on frame, and even held a 4-0 advantage on cornerkicks.
Still the Falcons were thwarted by a stingy Oxford defense and the play of senior fourth-year starting goalkeeper Tristan Bennett, who notched eight saves on the evening and has pushed his scoreless streak to three games.
“I just try to get into position and make the plays,” said Bennett.
With a young team in front of him — Oxford had three of its better field players move out of the state over the summer — Bennett has shined as of late, in particular in the first-half against Rochester when he stopped three point-blank range shots to keep the game scoreless.
“It helps when you have one of the best goalkeepers in the state on your team,” noted Bican. “The kid is special. He’s been playing great this season. The goals we allowed early in the season weren’t really his fault and we have not given up a goal the last three games now.
“I thought our defense played really good, too, and I thought at times we clogged up the middle and frustrated them,” added Bican. “Rochester played extremely well and they moved the ball extremely well. Our team stayed disciplined the whole game really. Defensively we were really strong. We know we can’t out-possess teams and that is fine. We play effective, super disciplined and focused. When we get one we’re opportunistic and when we had a chance tonight we scored. And as long as we have (Tristan Bennett) we’re going to have a shot at competing and winning games.”
Rochester (3-1-0, 2-1-0) held a 6-2 shots edge in the first half, when perhaps the Falcons’ best chances presented themselves. Bennett pushed aside a bending cornerkick and then dove to stop the rebound seconds later in the sixth minute.
In the second half, Rochester held a 13-1 shots edge but couldn’t penetrate the goal. The Falcons routinely blasted shots over the crossbar or wide of the net and were consistently frustrated by Oxford’s defense, which played five guys in the back for much of the second half.
“I think every game you can take positives and negatives. Today there were a lot more positives,” said 13th-year Rochester coach Chris Purgatori. “Arguably I thought this was our best game we’ve played as a team. We just didn’t finish our chances and that’s a credit to Adam Bican and Oxford. He’s one of the best coaches in the state. But we created a lot of (chances). We do have a young team but I think we have a very talented team. We’ll learn from this and hopefully we can find a way to score the next game.”
Last season Rochester dropped two league games early in the season despite controlling play in those games. The Falcons ended up finishing second by a point in the final OAA-White standings.
“I don’t think one loss will cost us the league this year. We have all of our goals still ahead of us and we control our own destiny. We just need to continue to get better,” added Purgatori.
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