There was no home field advantage for the Monticello boys soccer team on Friday during a 7-1 loss to No. 10 Mid-Prairie. 

The Golden Hawks were able to take advantage of the narrow pitch, creating plenty of early scoring chances with the precise throw-ins of senior Ethan Trimpe, who had three assists on the night. 

“As soon as we got here, we saw that the field was narrow,” Mid-Prairie coach Pat Cady said.

“We knew that Ethan could throw it into the box and into the goal to boot. 

“So we just told everybody before the game even started, we need to load at least two guys back post because it’s coming in, and all you’ve got to do is just get something on it.”

It didn’t take long for the strategy to pay off. Two minutes into the game, the Golden Hawks had a throw in about 20 yards from the corner. After surveying the field, Trimpe twice yelled for Jack Pennington to get in the goal. Finally satisfied with Pennington’s positioning, Trimpe’s throw in travelled nearly to the far post, over the hands of the Monticello goalkeeper, and off the head of Pennington into the net. 

“Jackson, he was our wing over there,” Trimpe said. “So, I just said ‘get in the goal, and I’ll throw it.’ And usually I’m pretty accurate at it so I just threw it in. He was just there at the spot where I told him to be and we got it in, and we knew that that would work.”

Pennington finished the game with two goals from the right back position, both coming on headers. 

“When a throw-in is deadly… that’s more deadly than a corner is,” Cady explained. “We can control it better at the high school level. So, it was nice to get those goals. And it’s kind of nice to see our outside backs scoring as well.”

Mid-Prairie took a two-goal lead when Owen Trimpe beat the keeper with a shot from around 18-yards out for his second goal of the season. 

Gunnar Gingerich scored twice to put Mid-Prairie ahead 5-0 in the first half. He put a deflected ball into the goal at close range, and collected a rebound off the hands of the goalkeeper before finding the net a second time. 

Yassin Ahmed scored on a penalty kick with just seconds remaining in the first half to give the Golden Hawks a 6-0 lead at halftime. 

“We were quicker,” Ethan Trimpe said about the first-half offense. “We could move the ball faster than they can move. We could just bounce it back and then we had a quick open look most of the time. We were just quicker and they never got an open area to play through.”

Jarrett Hoffman scored Mid-Prairie’s only goal of the second half on a beautiful shot from near the sideline that found the net just inside the far post. 

Mid-Prairie gave up its first goal of the season with about 25 minutes left in the game. 

Despite scoring just once, the Golden Hawks continued to control possession and create chances in the second half.

“What you’re trying to do is build, build, build in order to get a shot, and your goals are bonuses,” Cady said. “We had some really good shots. Zues (Fugate) had a nice cut and he ripped it. Unfortunately, it went right to the goalkeeper and he caught it. But we encourage our guys to shoot, because if we can keep shooting, pretty soon, they’re going to go in – but also you’re keeping them pinned back in their own half.”

Mid-Prairie had Aaron Slaubaugh back on Friday, but usual starters Tobin and Tucker Miller were still unavailable. 

“It was just enough confusion with having the new guys mixed in that you’ve just got to get the chemistry built between them,” Cady said.

“It’s still early, and you’ve got to remember that we haven’t played for a year. So for a lot of these kids, this is just the second game and they’re still continuing to look better and better.” 

Mid-Prairie 3, Mediapolis 0

On Tuesday, Mid-Prairie opened the season with a 3-0 win over No. 13 Mediapolis. Senior Zues Fugate scored twice and sophomore Owen Trimpe added a goal. 

“When we came out, through the first 10 minutes, we were doing really well with connecting passes,” Cady said. “And we connected, and marched right up the field and put a goal in right away and we looked really good. 

“And then our problem is we start to turn it into boot ball. And then we start panicking and thinking then we’ve got to quick hurry and boot it back and try to get him back up the field. And then that hurts us and we just need to settle back down and just continue to, you know, go back to our shape, and connect the ball and go back up the field.”

Ethan Trimpe and Gunnar Gingerich each had an assist as the Golden Hawks opened the season 1-0.