Advertisement. Advertise with us

Cooperstown senior Liam Spencer heads a ball as South Kortright’s Jadyn Sturniolo looks on during the Chic Walshe finals Saturday, Sept. 25, in Davenport. Cooperstown won, 3-1. (Greg Klein/AllOtsego.com).

Diamond’s hat trick
powers Coop boys
to Chic Walshe title

STAFF REPORT  • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com

DAVENPORT ⁠— Junior Colby Diamond scored three second half goals as Cooperstown won the Chic Walshe Tournament in boys soccer with a 3-1 win over South Kortright on Saturday, Sept. 25.

After a scoreless first half, Cooperstown Coach Frank Miosek moved Diamond from his normal position as a defensive midfielder to striker, a move that changed the tempo of the game in the second half.

“Coach Miosek and Coach (Lucas) Spencer, they told (fellow captain) Liam (Spencer) and I at halftime, one of us was going to move up front and we could decide which one of us it was. So, I said I would do it,” said Diamond, who was named tournament MVP for his efforts.

“I thought they took it to us in the first half,” Miosek said. “The second half we made some adjustments and it was much more our type of game.”

Cooperstown goalie Finn Holohan and defender Ethan Kukenberger sky above the pack to clear an SK corner kick away from Jacob Morton. Holohan had five saves and withstood seven corner kicks by the Rams. (Greg Klein/AllOtsego.com).

The Hawkeyes stayed undefeated with the non-conference win, but the Rams struck first when Eoin Byrne got free in the box and beat keeper Finn Holohan to the back of the net with 34:45 left in the game.

It was the first time Cooperstown trailed all season, but the deficit lasted only 21 seconds before Diamond tied it.

“That tells you something about this team,” Miosek said. “They didn’t hang their heads.”

“They scored their goal and I said, ‘that’s ok, we’re going to get it right back,'” Diamond said. “I knew I had to do something.”

As the half wore on, Miosek said he thought his team’s endurance paid off again.

“Our midfielders and our defense, I think their conditioning is a big part of our success,” he said.

With 14:58 left, Spencer put a through ball into the box that Diamond controlled and then finished for a 2-1 lead.

With 12:36 left, Diamond completed the hat trick.

Miosek credited Holohan and his defense with keeping Cooperstown in the game long enough for the offense to win it. Although Cooperstown outshot SK, 22-6, the Rams had a 7-5 advantage in corner kicks.

Interior defenders “P.J. Kiuber and Ethan Kukenberger, in particular, they headed everything out of trouble,” Miosek said.

“Obviously, the offense wins it, but it was the defense that kept us in the game,” he said.

Kiuber, Kukenberger and Spencer were named Chic Walshe All-Stars, along with Logan Byrne, Logan Firment and Jadyn Sturniolo for SK.

Cooperstown (8-0, 4-0) hosts Mount Markham for a Center State Conference Division III match at 4:30 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 30.

 

Posted

Tags

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

Related Articles

Putting the Community Back Into the Newspaper

Now through March 30, new annual subscribers to “The Freeman’s Journal” and AllOtsego.com (or subscribers who have lapsed for two or more years) have an opportunity to help their choice of one of four Otsego County charitable organizations.

$5.00 of your subscription will be donated to the nonprofit of your choice:

Cooperstown Farmers’ Market, Cooperstown Food Pantry, Greater Oneonta Historical Society or Super Heroes Humane Society.