Faced with the adversity of losing a two-goal halftime lead on Thursday, the Circleville Tigers on Thursday eventually battled back to tie a non-league match and earn a 3-3 non-league tie against the visiting New Hope Statesmen.
Luke Stout gave the Tigers a 1-0 need when he deposited a shot in the back of the net off an assist by Payden Donovan. Later in the half, Kaden Paxton played a ball to Donovan, who scored to put the Tigers ahead by a pair of goals.
“We played with a lot of energy and intensity in the first half of the match,” Circleville coach Evan Callihan said. “Our guys were excited to get the season started and it showed throughout most of the first half.”
That’s where the score stayed until halftime and through 30 minutes of the second half, when the Statesmen kept possession on the Circleville side of the pitch and scored three times in just five minutes to take a 3-2 advantage.
“We were a little sloppy in the second half, but I give a lot of credit to New Hope. Those kids battled and made a run at us scoring three goals in a matter of minutes to take the lead,” Callihan said.
Faced with a sudden change in the match, the Tigers responded by battling back.
The Tigers soon countered when Paxton later played a ball from Paxton and scored to level the score at 3-3.
Circleville had a pair of corners with less than two minutes in the match, but a key save by New Hope helped deny the Tigers the winning goal.
“Our team played well for 55-60 minutes of the match, but the match is 80 minutes,” Callihan said. “I’m proud of how our guys responded after the third goal and going down and getting the tying goal and even having a chance to win on a couple of corners late. It would have been easy after giving up that third goal to fold but our guys fought back.”
Callihan discussed playing another county school in New Hope and complimented the play of Paxton, a freshman who scored his first varsity goal in a key moment.
“New Hope and Circleville creates an exciting matchup,” he said. “Most of the players know each other and going along with that both teams really want to beat the other. I think New Hope played with a lot of energy late in the second half and I give them a lot of credit.
“Freshman Kaden Paxton made some major plays for us throughout the match. It was his first ever Varsity game and to go out and get an assist and score the match tying goal late was pretty impressive. He’s someone that has a lot of skill and has put in a lot of work this off-season. He stays pretty poised and no moment ever seems too big for him. “
The Tigers (0-0-1) return to the pitch on Monday at Wellston for a non-league match, when they will seek their first win of the season.
“We were hoping to start the season out with a win, but we have to turn the page and move forward,” Callihan said. “Our guys were upset and frustrated with the tie, which shows that our guys are starting to expect to win which is important as we work to continue to grow and improve.”
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