Gettig, Koleno lead Bald Eagle Area boys’ soccer to blowout win over Bellefonte

Bellefonte boys’ soccer coach Scott Martz knew it in his gut.

He told his assistant coach before Tuesday night’s game against Bald Eagle Area, but not his players.

He didn’t want to psych them out.

“We had probably the worst practice (Monday) I’ve seen in years,” Martz said. “I had a feeling. I just had that feeling.”

Martz’s instincts weren’t wrong.

The Red Raiders were listless for much of the evening, falling to a dynamic BEA side 4-0 at Alumni Stadium.

The Eagles (5-2-2) secured two goals apiece from juniors Seth Koleno and Jared Gettig, while Bellefonte (6-3-1) was outshot 20-13 by BEA.

From the opening whistle, the difference between the squads was apparent.

The Eagles were buzzing with the ball on their feet, pushing it equally through the middle of the field and down the flanks with purpose.

The Red Raiders, however, struggled to gain and sustain possession.

“We went 50 percent at practice,” Martz said, citing poor trapping and passing on Monday. “We weren’t ready for this game. We weren’t ready to go, and Bald Eagle came out and took it to us.”

In the 4th minute, that’s what happened. A pass from Koleno came into the Bellefonte box, the ball sputtered around at the feet of the Red Raider defenders, and Gettig put his foot through it on a half-volley past goalkeeper Noah Nadolsky.

About 20 minutes later, Gettig — somewhat unintentionally — fed Koleno. The goalscorer ripped another shot, but it deflected off a Bellefonte defender and fell to Koleno, who polished it off for a 2-0 lead that the Eagles took to halftime.

The fast start wasn’t necessarily a surprise to BEA coach Jason Bair.

But at the same time, a 2-0 Eagles deficit wouldn’t have shocked him, either.

“You never know what to expect against Bellefonte because it’s a rivalry game,” Bair said. “You just don’t know.”

He was surely pleased with the halftime advantage, and encouraged his players to keep it up.

“Once you stick in the second goal, momentum can shift your way,” the coach noted. “As the game went on, our guys continued to grow in confidence.”

The Eagles tallied a couple more goals in the second half. Koleno assisted a Gettig goal in the 60th minute, and vice versa five minutes later.

Bair was especially happy for Gettig.

“It was his birthday,” the coach said with a smile. “This was a great birthday present for him.”

Meanwhile, Bellefonte’s troubles persisted in the second period, but Nadolsky was a bright spot. The goalkeeper totaled five saves, and aside from stopping shots, he came off his line and safely disposed of dangerous passes on seven occasions in the first half alone.

“He was blasted on tonight,” Martz said.

Even still, the Bellefonte coach was upbeat after the four-goal defeat. He believes his side, which faces Huntingdon on Thursday, is primed for a rebound game.

“It’s a letdown from where we were,” Martz said. “We’ll regroup on Thursday and start over again.”

On the other side, Bair was thrilled with how the Eagles, now in sole possession of second place in the Mountain League, performed against the Red Raiders.

BEA travels to Penns Valley on Thursday.

This story was originally published September 27, 2016 at 10:23 PM with the headline "Gettig, Koleno lead Bald Eagle Area boys’ soccer to blowout win over Bellefonte."