Seymour loses two heartbreakers to Floyd Central Highlanders
David Polbito defends his Floyd Central opponent.
October 11, 2022
Ever been so close to something and just can’t quite get there? No? If you were part of the Seymour Owls’ soccer teams, you would know just how that feels. Not only did the Lady Owls lose in overtime to Floyd Central on October 6, but the Owls also lost a heart breaker to Floyd at home in the sectional final by a score of 3-0 Saturday evening. That was their first sectional finals appearance since 2015. “It’s not the ending we wanted to the season, but [the players] can be proud of their effort,” Head Coach Matt Dennis said.
Through losing the first three matches to finishing the season in the sectional finals, Seymour had their highs and lows. Sure, the record of 7-8-1 may not have been one of their highs, but finishing the season in sectional finals certainly is.
There was a high for both teams, however, and that was tempers. With 33:27 remaining in the second half, there was a very physical play that left both an Owl and a Highlander on the ground. They got up and started to push and shove each other, and in the blink of an eye, a melee had begun at midfield. Jovany Martinez for Seymour and Dakota Hart for Floyd were each given red cards. This fight was not Floyd Central’s first. Coach Dennis spilled some tea on Floyd Central’s semifinals. He mentioned that only one of the two teams has been in a fight in the last two games.
With 6:48 left in the first half, shortly after Seymour’s Jake Loebker’s game-ending injury, Floyd Central capitalized and scored the first and only goal of the half. “Yeah, losing Jake hurt bad. We had a plan, and I thought we were executing it quite well,” Coach Dennis said in response to Jake’s’ injury. In the 26th minute of the second half, Seymour got their first shot on goal thanks to Myles Chandler. Only 90 seconds into the second half and Floyd Central scored their second goal of the match. 12 minutes later, Floyd Central stunned the Owls defense with what would be the final goal of the match. Coach Dennis said that he’s “okay with losses as long as we learn from them.” Seymour ended up being out shot 11-4. Seymour had four shots on goal and four saves while the Highlanders had 11 shots on goal and three saves to top it off.
