By Levi Payton
sports@joplinglobe.com
Max Duncan scored four goals to lead the Joplin Eagles past the Ozark Tigers 4-2 in nonconference action Monday at Joplin High School.
Duncan, a sophomore midfielder, worked through the Tigers’ defense all game long. He managed to score once in the first half and three times in the second. Despite being double- and triple-teamed late in the second half, Duncan nearly added to his goal total on several other occasions.
He made it 1-0 on a goal in the first minute on an assist from Christian Hernandez. His second goal came in the 42nd minute on a penalty kick, and he made it 3-1 late in the second half when he booted a John Lazenby pass into the back of the net.
Duncan’s final goal came on a penalty kick during stoppage time.
“I think we came out stronger in the second half and attacked the goal better,” Duncan said.
It wasn’t as if his performance was the only bright spot for the Eagles. Goalkeeper John McDermid made a handful of key saves that kept the Tigers down and deflated their offensive attack.
The Eagles were forced to play without senior sweeper Mark Medlin — a key defensive standout — because he received a red card last week. That placed added pressure on youngsters such as sophomore Luke Barr to step up and fill Medlin’s shoes. Barr turned in a solid defensive performance with several key clears from Joplin territory — including one coming with the Tigers threatening during stoppage time.
“We had several guys that usually don’t play a whole lot out there tonight,” Duncan said. “Our JV guys that were out there really stepped up and did a good job for us tonight.”
Joplin received a scare, leading 1-0 late in the first half, after a great McDermid save on a corner kick. On the play, the junior barged his way into a crowd to grab the ball and appeared to get kicked in the head. He lay motionless on the ground for a brief time before walking off the field and receiving medical attention.
McDermid returned to the field in the second half and turned in several other key saves.
“I thought we did a good job in several different areas tonight,” Eagles coach Ed Miller said. “Obviously, a 15-20 mile-per-hour wind was a big factor, but we didn’t let that bother us and we just fought through it.”
Because this was first meeting between the two teams this year, neither coach knew what to expect. There were plenty of adjustments on both sides throughout the game.
“We had all kinds of adjustments,” Miller said. “At the half we decided to go with a 3-4-3 to get a better offensive surge. Fortunately, that worked for us and allowed us to push the ball and score some more goals.”
The loss was the first one for the Tigers (4-1). They kept the ball in Eagles territory for most of the first half, and again managed to get past enemy lines at the end of the game. However, they missed too many easy shots to make a difference late.
“Our kids played well and did not give up tonight,” Tigers coach Tom Davidson said. “Duncan had a great night. My hat is off to him and that team. They really did a good job against us.”
The Eagles (3-1) travel to Hillcrest at 4:30 p.m. today.
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Duncan leads Eagles past Tigers
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