May 12 — GOSHEN — Through Goshen City FC’s first three games of the season, there have been some conclusions to be drawn from the frustrating start.
“Goshen can compete with the best” and “Goshen struggles to finish games” were the most obvious.
On Saturday night at Goshen College and facing the leader of the United Premier Soccer League’s Midwest South Central division, Goshen City FC (1-2-1) solidified the first claim and disproved the second in the team’s victory 4-2 over Berber City. FC (5-0-1).
“Henrique [Eichenberger] and I’ve always had the feeling that we’re really one of the best teams,” said head coach Tyler Born, all smiles after the victory. “We just had some unfortunate things happen within our group and unfortunate results that maybe we deserved, but we’ve believed since the start.”
Goshen City entered Saturday with a 4-2 lead over Chicago Nation at home last weekend before settling for a 4-4 draw. GCFC made the changes this time and the second half showed the difference.
Stuck in a 2-2 draw at half-time, but with Berber City having a clear advantage in possession and fewer errors, Goshen scored for the final period.
Outscoring the visitors 11-2 in the second half, Goshen came out more aggressive and the difference was felt right from the start. The top-notch offense made its first appearance of the night after Berber’s defense stifled Goshen in the first half. In the 71st minute, the home fans celebrated Goshen City’s first lead of the game.
Two minutes after coming off the bench, midfielder Tito Sanchez made a play towards the goal. Attacking the net from the front, Sanchez evaded several defenders before firing a shot into the back of the net. With GCFC missing multiple chances at the start of the half, Sanchez had just scored what would be the game winner.
“I think the important thing was that we were fitter, we could run more,” Born said of his group’s ability to control the pace of the game in the second half. “[Berber] I started to get more tired as the game progressed. They are a very good team and they are where they are for a reason. They definitely challenged us in that first half, but we had two great responses after some mistakes and giving up goals in the first half. We had two very good responses, I can’t ask for more.”
Goshen’s defense was equally crucial to Saturday’s second-half effort. Although GCFC maintained possession for much of the second half, when Goshen City’s defense needed to hold its ground, it responded every time, deflating the visitors’ attack with each stop.
Still, Born knew that a one-goal lead did little to alleviate any pressure. That’s when Jonathan Boye scored Goshen’s fourth goal of the night during stoppage time.
“I felt like the substitutions I made – Stephen Bandi made an assist, Miguel Aguilar made an assist, Tito Sanchez scored two minutes after coming on and John scored a goal a minute after coming on – all those guys in the second half, all those guys who sometimes they get frustrated when they don’t have so many minutes, they were the ones who changed the game in the second half,” said Born.
They were Sanchez and Boye’s first goals of the season. Boye replaced Goshen’s main threat on Tebello Ntene, owner of Goshen City’s first two goals of the night, in stoppage time.
“That’s what we were aiming for,” Born said of the late goal. “Even though it was 3-2, I said ‘keep pressing, keep making it difficult for them’ and we kept pressing for another one just to end it. In the second half, we had possession most of the time, we had the chances, it was us that we started it all.”
Goshen entered the night with just two points and was in last place in the South division. Berber had 15 points in Saturday’s game. After GCFC’s victory, Berber still occupies first place with 15 points. Goshen moves into fourth place with Indiana United – both with five points. Goshen City’s next opponent, the Chicago Strikers (3-0-2), is in third place with nine points.
In the first half on Saturday, Berber showed why they have won each of their five games this season.
Goshen’s typical fast-paced attack ended up being kicked against a brick wall with Berber’s defense group. The visitors would then thwart any GCFC attacking attack, sending the ball to their own attack to do the job. There, Berber was equally impressive in controlling most of the action.
The home team’s two goals in the first half came from Ntene taking advantage of mistakes. The first was a turnover that Ntene took on a short field before tying it at one. The second came after Lucas Bontreger’s shot was blocked, allowing Ntene to regain possession and score from the top of the penalty line.
His goals didn’t demonstrate that, but Ntene’s ability to get past the defensive lines made Berber wary of the striker.
“He brings a different level of speed, quickness, attacking ability, attacking IQ, underestimating the moments and runs he needs to make at the right time,” Born said of Ntene. “He is always a threat to us. It’s so good to have it in the middle and on top because it continues [the other team’s defense] back because of the threat he brings.”
Born continued to stress the importance of the overall strength of the entire group for victory. The head coach’s ability to make the correct substitutions should also be highlighted. With the new faces, Goshen City managed to maintain their aggression in the second half without losing their advantage. This gave them a clear advantage.
Goshen City will travel to Glen Ellyn, Illinois next Saturday to face the Chicago Strikers. This will mark the halfway point of the club’s season.
UPSL – CENTRAL-SOUTH DIVISION OF THE CENTRAL-WEST
City of Goshen FC – 4
Berber City FC – 2
GOALS
B – Amine Airaki (13′)
G – Tebello Ntene (20′)
B – Jacob Graiber (27′)
G – Tebello Ntene (38′)
G – Tito Sánchez (71′)
G – Jonathan Boye (94′)
SHOTS
G-17
B-8
CORNERS
G-4
B-2
YELLOW CARDS
G — 2; Ariel Matute (11′), Lucas Bontreger (91′)
B-3; Gabriel Fernandes Cavalheiro (52′), Jacob Graiber (85′, 93′)
RED CARDS
G-0
B — 1; Jacob Graiber (93′)
Contact Matt Lucas at 574-533-2151, ext. 240325, or at matt.lucas@goshennews.com.
