Northwood knocks off Servite

IRVINE -One coach called it an own goal. The other gave credit to his senior forward.

Either way, the result was the same on Friday here at Meadowood Park. Northwood 1. Servite 0

It happened in the 54th minute into the nonleague game, when Northwood's Jake Murray fired a pass to the 6-yard box. Servite coach Mike Lussier said said one his Friar (0-1) defenders tried to get "too cute" when he didn't need to be and back-heeled the ball into in for a Northwood score.

Afterward, Lussier said that was the first time he could remember losing when the opponent didn't get off a shot.

But Nothwood coach Josh Brooks saw it differently. Jorge Salas, he said, knocked in Murray's pass for the 1-0 lead.

Brooks didn't expect Salas to be on the Timberwolves' roster this season. He thought Salas would keep on playing academy soccer, and Salas played a key role in putting the pressure on the Friars' well-organized defense that led the goal, Brooks said.

Led by Salas and Murray up top, the Timberwolves (2-0-1) were able to put pressure on Servite, spending a good portion of the first half in the final third.

But Servite's senior defender Dan Coates, who has received offers high-profile college programs including Wake Forest, was up to the task. And Northwood couldn't get one shot off on target. 

"We didn't create quality chances. They were more like half chances outside of the 18," he said. "Their No. 3 (Coates) ... what a big time player he is. He is controlled and composed and that made it more of a challenge."

But then they started to press Coates and take the ball too him.

"And that opened up some seams for us," Brooks said.

The Timberwolves did catch a break late in the second half when one of their players  got tangled up wth Servite sophomore foward Shaughnessy and both of them went down. He did have a hand on Shaughnessy's shoulder at the time, but the referees didn't think it was a foul, and play continued.

Servite, though, had chances to first take the lead and then even the score. The Friars however didn't capitalize on them.

In the first half, Charlie Miller wrapped a free kick around Northwood's five-man wall, but the Timberwolves sophomore keeper Scott Griffith, dove in front of the ball for the save, one of the two he made on Friday.

And then trailing 1-0 in the second half, Jake Spiekerman sent a cross in front of Northwood's goal, but Miller headed it inches above the crossbar.

"I thought we played a tough game. We just weren't very good on the offensive end," Lussier said. "In the first half, we had what I thought were some very good chances. We just didn't make the most of them. And you know what happens when you do that. It comes back to haunt you."