Celina beats Newton for first win

CELINA - Coming off a season-opening loss to Bryan, Celina boys soccer coach Ryan Jenkins wanted to see improvement all-around.

He got his wish Tuesday, as Zach Greber scored three goals and the defense kept pressure off sophomore keeper Brady Steinbrunner to help him post his first varsity shutout in a 3-0 win over Newton at the soccer stadium.

"It was a good bounce back, coming off kind of a rough loss to Bryan on Saturday," Jenkins said. "So it was nice to have that quick turnaround, to be able to put up a few more goals here. A nice way to get our first win."

Celina (1-1) took three shots on goal in the first five minutes before Greber put the Bulldogs on the board with 33:51 left in the first half. Lucas Billerman brought the ball up the left side and passed it to Greber about seven yards out, where he sent a low kick to the left that slipped under keeper Blake Reish's hand and trickled into the net.

Five minutes later, Greber put pressure on a Newton defender, then used his speed to intercept a slow kick back to Reish, who got a hand on the shot but couldn't push it far enough left as the Bulldogs went up 2-0.

"He had a good game," Jenkins said of Greber. "He finished opportunities, just got in the right spots and was able to put them in the back of the net. It was nice that we didn't need all three, but also nice to get three."

Celina kept pressure on Reish with two more shots on frame and four corners over the final 28 minutes of the first half, while the Indians mustered just one shot on goal and one long shot over the crossbar.

Early in the second half, Newton evened up in the midfield, winning more balls and generating a stronger attack, but had little to show for it. Josh Fisher hit a laser on a direct kick that went high and right, then missed wide 30 seconds later.

Steinbrunner had to step up 10 minutes into the second half, making a one-handed save to keep the Indians scoreless with 30:56 to play. He added three more saves down the stretch, pushing a shot left with 5:31 remaining to end Newton's last major attack.

"We played really well in the first half," Jenkins said. "Second half, they came out and put a little more pressure on us, and Brady had to step up and make a few saves. But any time the defense can end with a shutout, it's a good thing."

Greber added an insurance goal in the second half after Grant Duncan threw the ball in from the right side and Karsyn Smalley tipped it away from a Newton defender. The ball rolled to Greber, who turned on it and fired a shot into the top right past a diving Reish.

Celina returns to action Saturday when New Knoxville comes to town for an 11 a.m. varsity start.