Following Bradford’s 7-1 road win over Elk County Catholic last Thursday, head coach Wes Lohrman admired the team’s ability to have different players step up and be goal scorers.
That was certainly the case Tuesday night at Parkway Field as the Owls remained undefeated on the season with a 7-0 shutout victory over Elk County Catholic. Freshman Jake Franz led Bradford with a hat trick as Cam Austin, Brayden Ervin, Andrew Kane and Ethan Tate each added goals as well.
Gavin McGee, Jaydon Warnick, Ethan Little, Tate and Austin each recorded assists for the Owls (9-0) and freshmen goalkeepers Alex Rimer and Tristan Dragoone combined for five saves.
Along with having different players step up, Lohrman said the team also benefited from the game’s flow. The Owls previously rallied for a 6-5 win at Galeton on Saturday in a game that saw 38 total fouls called and four cards handed out.
“I feel that I have players that I can bring in from a variety of different angles and put in different positions to play on the field,” Lohrman said. “We’ve been trying to do that as much as we possibly can. Tonight allowed us to do that.”
Bradford controlled the ball for most of the game. Along with the team’s possession, Lohrman was also pleased with the pressure from Austin and Little on defense which caused some issues for ECC and created opportunities for the Owls on offense.
“We have people that are going to put the ball in the net, we just have to create the opportunities for that to happen, and with us being able to bring pressure from the back really adds an added wrinkle into what we’ve done offensively,” Lohrman said.
Austin got the scoring started with a goal off a corner kick at the 24:35 mark and Franz followed that up with his first goal of the evening with 11:34 left in the first half which would give Bradford a 2-0 halftime lead.
Less than five minutes into the game, ECC goalkeeper Ryan Jovenitti exited with a minor injury, but head coach T.J. Weaver hopes to have him back next game.
James Foradora stepped in and recorded 18 saves for the Crusaders.
“He held strong, he did a good job,” Weaver said of Foradora. “To have Bradford 2-0 at halftime, that’s great for us. We’re young. We started eight underclassmen tonight which is great for our future. Our future looks really good, it’s just getting there. It’s hard to teach the kids sometimes when you have a big loss like we did tonight, but our kids are doing well.
“They’re growing every day, we’re adjusting our positions, we’re getting better.”
It took just 21 seconds for the Owls to get on the board during the second half when Kane netted a goal at the 39:39 mark. Brayden Ervin then rattled in a goal through the right side of the net to give Bradford a 4-0 lead.
Franz then completed the hat trick with goals at the 15:34 and 12:19 marks in the second half, and Tate finished the scoring with a goal that bounced off Foradora’s hands and into the net with about 30 seconds left in the game.
“We’re excited to watch what he does in the program. He’s a natural athlete in any sport that he plays,” Lohrman said of Franz. “It’s nice to see the young guys be able to contribute like that.”
A road matchup against Galeton on Thursday awaits the Crusaders this week. Weaver is looking for his team to continue to grow, learn and improve.
“They’re physical up at home,” Weaver said of Galeton. “So hopefully we can come out of there with a victory and hopefully without any injuries. That’s the key.”
Bradford will take on Coudersport on the road Thursday — a team the Owls have yet to play this season.
Lohrman knows the Falcons are a team that Bradford needs to take seriously. He also said playing on different surfaces has been an adjustment the team has had to make this season, but they’ve played on these surfaces before and know they can come out victorious if they stick to the game plan.
“They’ve been able to put together some wins, so it’s not a team that we can take lightly,” Lohrman said of Coudy. “We know that if we go in with a clear head and are able to do what we’ve worked on in practice and what we’ve been working on throughout the season, we’re a tough team to deal with.”
