Even coming off a loss to rival Keller, Central boys soccer head coach Dave Maher wasn’t complaining.
The Chargers had just reeled off five wins and three draws without a loss prior to the 2-0 loss to Keller.Now, entering the week at 6-1-3 in District 4-5A and in second place, Maher knows the parity of the district makes their position something to be proud of.“It was our first loss (after) nine games without losing,” Maher said. “It’s hard to do, to go through our district without a loss.“We didn’t expect anyone to run away with it, much less go undefeated,” Maher said.Following Friday’s 2-1 win over Timber Creek, Central was just a point behind Keller, with Carroll and Richland tied at third, a point behind the Chargers.“We’ll just have to put that (Keller) game behind us,” Maher said prior to the Timber Creek contest last Friday. “The game’s over and it’s not even an afterthought.”The Chargers can’t afford to linger on what might have been. The district has shown that anyone is beatable on any given night.That is reason enough for Central to not take the final four opponents — Fossil Ridge, Richland, Haltom and Northwest — for granted.“We’ve learned not to underestimate anyone in the district,” Maher said, noting that the difference from first to third place is just two points. “There’s still a lot of points on the table.”And although Central is poised to claim a playoff spot, they won’t take that for granted, either.Last year was Central’s first year to not make the playoffs in the history of the program.Maher said there’s something different about this year’s team, though.“Our willingness to play hard for each other” is the difference, Maher said. “It’s great to have that attitude with four games left.”Some of the players Central has seen step up to help make a difference this season include goalkeeper Brenden Ottman.The senior goalie has five shutouts in district play thus far, and Maher said Ottman has shown plenty of big-play capabilities.Along with great play in net, Central has also been the beneficiary of great defensive play by Kameron Maney.Maney, a 6’2” Niagra University signee has been a key reason Central can stay competitive in most every game, Maher said.The playmaker, though, has been midfielder Colin Nunley.Even with Nunley’s play, Maher said the Chargers are spreading around the chore of goal-scoring.“Our strength, though, is our team defense,” Maher said. “We’re opportunistic in scoring goals off our defense.”Central will take on Fossil Ridge Friday and then have a big matchup with Richland on Tuesday.Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
