Bellefonte rolls past Tyrone in boys’ soccer

Bellefonte boys’ soccer coach Scott Martz had seen his side rattle off a few key wins to start the 2016 season.

But during the opening month of the campaign, a certain intensity had been missing.

“We always start kind of slow,” Martz said.

That wasn’t a problem for Bellefonte on Monday.

The Red Raiders (5-2-1) caught fire early in the first and second halves, dismantling Tyrone (2-3) in a 5-2 win.

Bellefonte featured four different goalscorers — senior forward Alex Horner netted two, while Daniel Catchmark, Joey Maggs and Ryan Houser each bagged a goal.

And it was Horner’s first that helped solidify the tone.

The Red Raiders blitzed Tyrone from the opening whistle, ripping off seven shots in the game’s initial 10 minutes. After the seventh attempt, Golden Eagles goalkeeper Isaac Woomer had his hands on his hips, catching his breath.

The Red Raiders were working Tyrone.

“I don’t think they were expecting that today,” Martz said.

As the offensive charge continued to mount, Martz felt like it was only a matter of time until his side broke through.

In the 14th minute, it happened. A corner sent in by Catchmark found Horner, who redirected the ball into the net’s right corner with his head.

Less than 60 seconds later, Bellefonte struck again. Catchmark fired a shot into Woomer’s chest from close range, the ball ricocheted back to the striker, and he slotted it home for a 2-0 lead.

Horner knew he and his teammates wanted to hammer Tyrone early, and it worked to their advantage.

“Hit ‘em hard from the get-go,” Horner said of the plan. “If you hit ‘em hard straight up, they’ll get down.”

Tyrone coach Nick Miller expressed disappointment with how his Golden Eagles started.

“We were lacking fire,” Miller said. “Our back line was just being caught flat-footed. ... They definitely took advantage of us.”

Tyrone did snag a goal against the run of play, as Alex Shmoke put one past Noah Nadolsky two minutes before halftime.

With the score 2-1 at the break, Martz pushed for a forceful beginning to the second half.

“I encouraged them to come out and score quick,” the coach recalled.

The Red Raiders listened.

In the 46th minute, Houser ripped a shot down the middle from 25 yards out, sneaking just under the post and whizzing by the reacting hands of Woomer.

Horner notched his second goal 34 ticks of the clock later, and in the 49th minute, Maggs added to the carnage with a half-volley score.

“They took it to us really quick at the start of the second half,” Miller said. “That really deflated us.”

In all, the Red Raiders racked up 27 shots, forcing Woomer to make 10 saves. Tyrone managed eight attempts, with Nadolsky stopping seven of them.

Martz said early this season Bellefonte recorded 10 or 12 useful shots per game, but he’s hoping the number of attempts hovers around 25 or 30 from this point forward.

Monday was a good place to start.

“We’re progressing,” the coach said. “We have a lot of confidence right now.”

Bellefonte, now 4-1 in Mountain League play, hosts Central at 4 p.m. Thursday.

This story was originally published September 19, 2016 at 7:57 PM with the headline "Bellefonte rolls past Tyrone in boys’ soccer."