The Panthers dynamic offense was the key to a 2-0 victory over North Oldham on Tuesday, as they are now set to compete in the Elite Eight this weekend.
Daviess County got the first threatening scoring opportunity of the game early, as senior Hayden Boswell was shoved in the back in the box for a penalty kick. Senior Dax Sandifer stepped up and hit one that skipped on the ground to the keeper’s left, where senior Sharan Dodwani made the save for North Oldham to keep it tied at 0-0 in the sixth minute.
The Mustangs were able to create a chance for themselves with the first corner kick of the game in the 11th minute, but it was cleared easily. Daviess County had a slight edge in the possession battle in the first half, using it to create some rhythm offensively.
They were able to get another shot on goal in the 16th minute from senior Ahmed Abdullahi, but a charging Dodwani deflected the shot with his outstretched legs. Sophomore Cameron Bell tried to clean up the miss before it went out, but he missed and made contact with the ball before exiting play and giving North Oldham a goal kick.
Just missing on a plethora of runs thanks to a strong Mustangs defense, it wasn’t until the 26th minute that the Panthers were able to break through. It was a combination goal at the top of the box on the left side of the pitch that did the trick, as Glover hit Abdullahi before receiving it back right in front of the keeper and tapping it in to take a 1-0 lead.
Daviess County was able to take this lead into halftime, but North Oldham wasn’t going to go down without a fight.
The Panthers almost set the tone for the second half with a goal in the 46th minute, as Abdullahi headed one to Bell on a counter. Bell was able to serve it into the box to senior Sean Higgs, but he was unable to sink the shot.
The Mustangs were right in the game though, coming out of the locker room aggressive and creating a number of chances by pressing in the first ten minutes of the second half. They were able to get a few close looks, but North Oldham couldn’t finish thanks to some adjustments by the Panthers.
“It was about a 10-minute stretch there where things were a little chaotic and we were a little bit out of sorts,” Head Coach Doug Sandifer said. “I think it was them just constantly feeding balls in the air and we weren’t able to connect on the way out. We just had to settle into the half and start finding the right outlet passes.”
Daviess County nearly responded on a free kick in the 57th minute after Boswell was fouled, but senior Nate Dailey’s shot was saved by a diving Dodwani to keep the game at 1-0. Minutes later Abdullahi got another shot on goal for the Panthers, but Dodwani earned yet another save to keep the Mustangs within reach in the 63rd minute.
Abdullahi tipped his cap to the senior keeper following the game, noting that he kept him off the board with a great save—one of six on the night that helped give North Oldham a fighting chance.
“Their goalie is pretty good, I’ll give him that,” Abdullahi said. “He stopped my shot, which I’m surprised he stopped. I was ready to celebrate as soon as it went off my foot. It was a beautiful save.”
But with enough chances the dam had to break eventually, as Daviess County was able to pad onto their lead a few minutes later. It was a through ball in the air to sophomore Carter Payne that created the chance, as he proceeded to control the ball down the left side of the pitch before hitting a streaking senior Davian Clark in the middle of the box for an easy goal and a 2-0 lead in the 67th minute.
As expected North Oldham immediately began pressing, getting a shot off less than a minute later that junior Connor Johnson saved. The Mustangs tried to counter quickly and often with time not on their side, but they were unable to crack the Panthers defense and ultimately fell 2-0.
Sandifer was pleased with his team’s efforts, especially with how his team came ready to play from the jump to kickstart their offense.
“I just told them we played really well on both sides of the ball,” Sandifer said. “First half I thought we played fantastic. We had a lot of good opportunities. We had the nice goal which was a combination between Sam and Ahmed. It was something we mentioned before the game that would be open and Ahmed who when I set something in motion for them he always seems to follow the plan.”
Abdullahi furthered his coaches notion, stating that his full trust in his coach and teammates is what helps him execute the offense to the best of his ability in the offensive third and help the Panthers find the back of the net.
“Like he said, looking for combinations [was what led to the goal there],” Abdullahi said. “I trust him if he comes up with a gameplan and I’m willing to go for it because I know I can trust. If he says it will work, it will work.”
A big factor in the Panthers offensive success was their ability to possess the ball, which Sandifer was said was because of their ability to settle the ball and do the little things in the midfield.
“I think what helps us the most is just stepping to the 50-50 balls,” Sandifer said. “Winning balls in the air and putting it back down into our offensive end and not allowing the other team to settle balls and turn and go on the attack. We’re doing a much better job of that in the postseason than we were earlier in the season. We were a little softer on our marking and we’ve tightened that up and the guys have figured out that winning those balls there really sets the tone.”
Daviess County now has a couple of days off to prepare for their Elite Eight game, as they will hope to carry their momentum into a road matchup with Bowling Green on Saturday.
