THORNVILLE — Kaden Paxton tied the game with six minutes left and Blain Fowler put the game-winner in with just 45 seconds on the clock to lift Circleville to a 4-3 win at Sheridan Wednesday night.
Paxton’s goal was his second of the night as he scored in the first half off an assist from Donovan Dillon. He returned the favor by assisting on a goal by Dillon in the second half.
Anthony Wade and Luke Stout assisted on the final two Tiger goals of the game.
Sheridan had a 2-1 lead at the half and took a 3-2 lead with 15 minutes remaining.
“We didn’t really play well tonight, if I’m being honest, but I credit a lot of that to Sheridan. That is a young, hungry team that wants to be successful, and they are going in the right direction,” Circleville coach Evan Callihan said. “I thought they passed and moved the ball well around us and that put them in a position to win the game.”
Some of the younger players were big contributors for the Tigers Wednesday.
“Freshman Kaden Paxton, freshman Blain Fowler and sophomore Anthony Wade played big minutes for us tonight,” Callihan said. “Kaden Paxton continues to raise his performance as a freshman and his work ethic was relentless last night. Blain Fowler is another freshman that has a tremendous work ethic and he’s really bought into what we are trying to do. He made a lot of effort plays last night and his goal with 45 seconds left in the game just shows what he is capable of.
“Sophomore Anthony Wade stepped up big for us as he played almost every minute of the game. He’s one of the most skilled soccer players that we have in the program and he showed that tonight.”
The win improves the Tigers’ season mark to 7-3-2.
“We didn’t play very well tonight as a team but I’m proud of our guys finding a way to get a win. It would’ve been easy to put our heads down and accept defeat but our guys showed resilience and kept fighting,” Callihan said. “You aren’t going to play your best every night in high school sports and sometimes you just have to find a way to win.
“Our sophomore goalie Will Flory made some crucial saves as well down the stretch. He has been solid for us in the back, and he’s been a leader for us this season.”
Flory had 10 saves.
The Tigers take on Western Latham tonight.
Tigers fall 2-1 to Aces Monday
AMANDA — Amanda-Clearcreek scored twice in the first half and made it hold up for a 2-1 win over visiting Circleville Monday.
“Credit to Amanda-Clearcreek, they outplayed us for the majority of the game,” Circleville coach Evan Callihan said. “I thought their speed and strength was a big difference in this game. We had trouble keeping and holding possession and their speed gave us some problems.”
Amy Hines got the Aces on the board in the 22nd minute and Cameron Corey followed 10 minutes later with AC’s second goal.
“We got out to a slow start and didn’t play with as much intensity and energy as we needed to and that ultimately falls on me,” Callihan said. “When you are playing on the road and playing a cross county rival, you have to raise your level of play and we weren’t able to do that tonight.
“Their senior forward Cam Corey is one of the best players we have played against this season. He is a special player and leader for that program. Every time I see him play I’m really impressed with the effort and intensity he plays with. He carries himself with a lot of poise and he showed why he’s one of the best players in this area.
“As a team we have to move forward and focus on improving for the next game. We are trying to grow as a team and program and growth isn’t always going to be linear. There are going to be some setbacks. We still have a lot of our goals out in front of us and we have to keep moving forward.”
