Middlesboro (4-3) walked away with a 1-0 victory over Knox Central (2-5) on Thursday. To make the victory that much sweeter, it was senior night for the Yellow Jackets.
“It’s always good to win on a big night like senior night,” said Middlesboro head coach Tim Millett. “All the families and the fans are out to support the seniors and it’s good to get the win at home. A lot of people were there to watch.”
The Yellow Jacket defense completed their second shutout of the season against the Panthers. The first came against the same opponent on Sept. 8.
“Dylan Neal just continues to really play well in goal for us,” said Millett. “Owen Collins had a really good game on defense tonight.”
The coach complimented Joe Nagle for his defensive play as well.
“Joe Nagle had a really good night and a really good save,” said Millett. “They had a direct kick pretty much on the 18, and he’s responsible for one side of the goal when it’s right in front of the goal. They (Knox Central) made a good kick on it, and Joe made a great play keeping the ball out of the goal.”
Millett said the defense has been solid all year. There have only been four games where the team has allowed over one goal to be scored. They lost three of those four.
“It’s been pretty solid for the most part,” said Millett about the defense. “It’s just grit, determination and being smart. We did a really good job tonight on that.”
Evan Brock scored the winning goal for the Jackets 30 minutes into the first period. Caleb Heck had a direct kick 25 yards away from the goal, and Brock stepped in to score the goal.
The coach said the players were ready to play on Thursday with the fact that it was senior night adding extra motivation.
“It was one of those games where you’re almost too fired up to play,” said Millett. “We got after it tonight.”
While the team only scored one goal, there were multiple opportunities to put the ball in the net.
“The ball bounced off the crossbar a couple of times,” said Millett. “If we keep working hard, those goals are going to go in.”
Middlesboro travels back to Whitley County (1-11) on Thursday.
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