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Celina's Bridon Jeffries celebrates after scoring the winning goal in the Bulldogs' WBL match with Kenton at the soccer stadium. Jeffries' goal lifted Celina to a 1-0 win over the previously unbeaten Wildcats.
CELINA - An unbeaten Kenton team did not scare away Celina at home, as the hosts scored late to beat the Wildcats 1-0 Thursday night in Western Buckeye League boys soccer at the soccer stadium.
The first half was one dominated by the Bulldogs, as they outshot Kenton 13-5, with five of the shots being on goal. While the Wildcats did keep a clean sheet over the first 40 minutes, Celina had all the momentum heading into the break.
"I felt like in the first half we had some chances," Celina Coach Ryan Jenkins said. "We just couldn't quite get any goals."
A few chances came for Kenton late in the half to put some pressure on the home team, including a few shots that hit the crossbar. While Celina was dominant statistically, Kenton came into the match without a loss, and the Bulldogs were without a win at home all season.
Celina's Nelson Chapman (14) tangles with Kenton's Kyle Barrett for possession of the ball.
With halftime over, both teams picked up the intensity early in the second half. Hard tackles, limited shots, and an overall sense of urgency filled the teams. Celina's defense was solid in the early phase of the second half. Kenton's chances to start the half were almost always shot right into a defender, or went over the bar.
"I thought the defense played well, and really limited (Kenton's) chances," Jenkins said. "Kenton did have some chances, but overall we limited most of their chances."
Defense eventually led to offense for Celina. After nearly 70 minutes of play, Bridon Jeffries found the back of the net with a strong, right-footed strike. It was a deserved lead for the Bulldogs. They tallied over 10 shots in the second half, with three of them on goal.
With just over 10 minutes left in the match, Celina was trying to hold on. Kenton pushed forward searching for an equalizer. The Wildcats got close at times, including a mad dash near the goal of Celina's Braylon Steinbrenner. The Bulldogs' keeper eventually ended up with the ball to the relief of the crowd.
Kenton kept going, but their tackles turned into fouls, which Celina turned into minutes off the clock. The Bulldogs took their time with corners, free kicks, and goal kicks. Eventually the final whistle blew, and the only thing louder than the whistle was the crowd.
Celina (4-3-2, 3-0-1 WBL) travels to Maumee on Saturday. The Panthers beat Celina 6-1 last year, so the Bulldogs will be looking for some revenge.
"It's going to be a tough one. It's been three games this week," Jenkins said. "Right now we're doing good, we just want to keep continuing that this week."
