Sep 16, 2008 3 min read

Beth-Center traveled to Colonial territory and returned home with a 4-0 win. The first half was exciting, but it did not show on the board for either team.

Perhaps it was because AG’s head coach, Justin Cerullo was not present on the sidelines because he received a red card at the Monessen game last Saturday.

“There was a major change in how they played because Cerullo was not here. It was like the guys were pumped up for the first half and then sort of forgot how to play in the second,” stated assistant coach Champlin.

Or maybe it was because B-C was not use to the size and speed of game that AG plays.

Each team had opportunities for goals, but turning passes into shots that counted was difficult. Beth-Center’s Brandon Malloy had a handful of passes from Levi Whited and yet, he just could not get off a good shot. He made great decisions on where to move to receive the passes and had great ball control, but he wasn’t able to make things click.

AG’s forwards came out faster in the second, nullifying Malloy’s first pass. But that did not matter because he helped set up the first B-C goal of the game at 29:56 by Dan Brierley.

The Bulldogs’ passes improved in the second half, and it showed. Seth Lere sent a long ball to wide open Malloy on the far left side and he finally took a shot that counted for a 2-0 lead at 26:26.

Albert Gallatin keeper Shawn Smearcheck called for a sub after it appeared he had the wind knocked out of him after the first goal.

“Shawn also plays football and he is a bit bruised up but he never wants to come out of a game so I was surprised when he wanted a sub.” said Champlin.

So in came Ryan Jenkins. The first shot almost went into the top corner off the foot of Austin Smith. Smith looked goal hungry as he immediately took another shot on his next possession which Jenkins reached high for and caught.

“Jenkins had a good night. He made some great saves,” complemented Champlin of his backup keeper.

Finally, Smith received his goal that he had been shooting for all night. It came after a pass from midfield that led him to a one-on-one with Jenkins.

“One goal out of six shots is not bad. He had many opportunities and finally he got one in,” said Bailey.

Brierly’s second goal with 3:46 remaining in the game made the game 4-0.

The Colonials slip to 1-7 overall while the Bulldogs move on the plus side of .500 at 4-3. Albert Gallatin returns to section action Thursday at Baldwin.