Andrew Saltsman broke the school career assist record Monday night, helping Owensboro cruise to a 10-0 win over Meade County in the opening game of the 3rd Region boys’ soccer tournament.
Needing only one assist to tie the record of 45 set by Christakis Agisilaou, Saltsman got his first of the night when he sent a ball up to Paxton Jenkins, whose goal put the Red Devils up 2-0 after only 11 minutes.
Saltsman’s second assist came midway through the half when he set up a score by Josh Head. Six minutes later he added a final assist — again with a pass to Head.
“It’s a dream. I’ve always wanted to achieve it,” Saltsman said of setting the record. “It’s something big to hold a record at the school. I couldn’t do it without my teammates. Feeding each other back and forth is just how it goes. It comes down to unselfishness.”
Saltsman also added a goal of his own during a flurry of scoring midway through the first period, punching in a loose ball after a shot by Paxton Jenkins bounced away from Meade County’s keeper.
Head coach Ryan Haley said Saltsman’s success comes from his year-long dedication to soccer, and he’s a very well-rounded player.
“A lot of people are quick, but then there are people who are quick with the ball. Andrew is quick with the ball, and he keeps it close to him,” Haley said. “He can shimmy past people, he can toe poke balls away and end up on the other side of them, and he’s probably got the best shot on the team. He’s very intelligent and has a high soccer IQ.”
Reis Dickinson got Owensboro rolling early when his shot smashed the crossbar but fell just inside the goal line for a 1-0 lead three minutes in.
Already sporting a 2-0 advantage, Owensboro went on a scoring spree that started with an own goal by the Green Wave in the 18th minute. Over the next 12 minutes, the Red Devils got a pair of goals from Head and one each from Saltsman and Grayson McFarland.
“Everyone was looking to finish their chances, be unselfish, score quick and put the game away early,” Head said. “Most of the chances we had we put away.”
Haley said the game plan was to come out ready to score.
“We started off very attack heavy,” he said. “We switched up some things in the first half. We looked to get numbers up top and attack. In recent games we’ve been more conservative. We’re kind of through with that. We’re looking to play more aggressive and get more numbers up the field.”
McFarland and Head each scored from a few yards out in the first five minutes of the second half for a 9-0 lead. Baxter Brown put on the finishing touch when he got on the end of a pass from Hser Thaw to end the game with 14:18 left on the clock.
Head led the scoring effort with three goals, adding two assists. Jenkins and Saltsman each had three assists and a goal, while Grayson McFarland scored twice and had one assist. Marcos Barrera Jimeno also had an assist.
“I thought our guys did a great job making combination plays,” Haley said. “Guys were making runs and finishing them, getting to the ends of balls and putting themselves in scoring position. They were very unselfish. I’m very proud of the unselfish play.”
With the win, Owensboro advances to Tuesday’s semifinal game against Ohio County. The Red Devils beat the Eagles 5-0 in the regular season.
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2019 soccer coverage is presented by Worth Insurance Group.
