Shawnee’s Alex McGuire (left) and Bath’s Sam Burkholder fight for control of the ball during Thursday night’s match at Shawnee. See more high school soccer photos at LimaScores.com.
Don Speck | The Lima News
SHAWNEE TOWNSHIP – It took just under three minutes for Shawnee to execute its game plan.
That’s when the Indians scored its first goal on a cross from the flank into the box.
Shawnee went on to post an impressive 7-0 boys soccer victory over Bath on Thursday night.
Austin Miller had a three-goal hat trick for Shawnee.
Luca Fusillo had one goal and two assists. Fusillo’s assists, and even his goal, were all crosses into the box.
“That’s one thing we wanted to focus on (crosses) because later in the season that’s how we’re going to win games,” Luca Fusillo said.
Matteo Fusillo, Sam Tenwalde and Coda Miller all scored a goal for Shawnee. Matteo Fusillo also had an assist.
Shawnee outshot Bath 21-1 for the night.
“We had our chances on our crosses with Lexington (a 2-1 Shawnee win Saturday),” Shawnee coach Ryan Quatman said. “We wanted to go out wide and knock it in. We found some success with that early and that opens up the inside and gives you more options.
“Luca (Fusillo) had a goal today to distribute and he accomplished it today. I thought that was his best game so far.’’
Bath goalkeeper Landon Vreeland had 10 saves.
Shawnee goalkeeper Jack Tenwalde had one save.
Shawnee returns seven starters from a team that lost in the regional finals to Lexington last year.
“If we possess and play as a team, and we have common goals, we can achieve anything. Our big goal this year is state,” Luca Fusillo said.
Shawnee is 2-0-1. Bath is 1-3-1.
Shawnee scored on its second shot of the match when Luca Fusillo made a left-to-right cross into the heart of the box.
Miller one-timed it off his foot into the net from 8-yards out.
That gave Shawnee a 1-0 lead with 37:44 left in the first half.
“I know Austin is an amazing player, so if I get it into him, he’s going to score,” Luca Fusillo said. “That was the game plan today (to cross it into the box) and we trust each other with the ball and to make the right pass. I think it paid off.’’
The Indians took a 2-0 lead when Matteo Fusillo sent a ball ahead from 30-yards out into the box to Miller, who dribbled it to 7-yards out.
Miller drilled the shot into the net to make it 2-0 with 14:09 left in the first half.
Luca Fusillo appeared to send a cross from the left flank, 16-yards out, but the ball ended up in the net.
That gave Shawnee a 3-0 lead with 7:18 left in the first half.
“For sure, it was a cross and I got lucky and it went in,” Luca said. “It hit the goalie and it went in.’’
With 7:18 left in the half Shawnee’s Coda Miller was taken down in the box.
Coda Miller was awarded a penalty kick and he drilled it just under the crossbar for a PK goal.
That gave Shawnee a 4-0 lead.
The Indians switched things up in the back on Thursday, moving Collin Scheid from defender to holding midfielder. Matteo Fusillo went from holding midfielder to attacking midfielder.
And Luca Fusillo went from midfielder to forward.
They also had outside defenders Noah Scheid and Josh Myers making offensive runs when Shawnee was in Bath’s end.
“We’re working on that,” Quatman said. “That’s how a 4-3-3 is run.’’
The Indians controlled the ball 80 percent of the first half and outshot Bath 11-0 in the first half.
“Their movement off the ball, their spacing and the way they make you commit into positions you don’t want to be in is pretty impressive,” Bath coach David Briggs said. “That’s another quality Shawnee team.’’
Shawnee made it 5-0 on another left-to-right cross into the box from Luca Fusillo to Miller, who made a sliding kick into the net.
That came with 38 minutes to go.
Matteo Fusillo made it 6-0 on a steal and quick shot from 12-yards out with 34:52 to go.
Tenwalde’s goal came on a pass from Collin Scheid with 2:35 to play.
Tom Usher wrote this story for The Lima News. Reach The Lima News sports department at 567-242-0451.
