Whitley boys soccer team gets first win of 2015

2015 has been a tough year for the Whitley County Colonels boys soccer team. They went 0-10 to start the season, losing four of those games by just one goal. Of those four close contests, two were against the Middlesboro Yellow Jackets.

The third time was the charm for the Colonels against the Jackets, however, as Whitley was finally able to put a mark in the win column Monday evening with a 2-1 victory in front of a home crowd.

“The last time we played them we possessed the game the entire time,” said Head Coach Jarred Earnest after the victory. “But they slipped a couple of goals in on us and we could not finish to save our lives. We were working so hard to finish, but we just couldn’t. Tonight we were able to do that, and we looked like a totally different team. The guys were really feeling it, and they didn’t give up. This shows that we can win. We just have to come ready to do it.”

The Colonels got on the board first with 28:52 remaining in the first half when senior Montana Collette scored off of a free kick. Collette then made it 2-0 at the 18:28 mark with a penalty kick goal. He nearly had a third goal with 7:25 to go before the half when another free kick bounced off of the top crossbar.

Whitley County gave Middlesboro a break with 14:47 left in regulation when they accidentally knocked in an own goal, but the Yellow Jackets were never able to tie the game, allowing the Colonels to come away with the 2-1 win.

“This feels good,” Collette said post game. “I’m proud of my team. We all played hard from whistle to whistle.”

Collette admitted that it has been easy to lose hope on a couple of occasions so far this season, but he also said that he and his teammates have “stayed with it, practiced hard, and now it’s paying off”

Collette and Coach Earnest are both hopeful that Monday’s victory will serve as a catalyst that will help propel the Colonels to more wins between now and the end of this season.

The team was back in action Tuesday on the road against the Pulaski County Maroons, and will be at home again this Thursday, September 17, against the Mountaineers of Oneida Baptist Institute.

That contest is scheduled to get underway at 6:00 p.m.