Winding down the ’09 season with their last two games, Tyler Consolidated’s varsity boys soccer team split the difference, winning one and not winning one.

At St. Marys on Oct. 13 the Silver Knights easily took the win over St. Marys, 11-0, in Pleasants County.

“It was a good game, everybody got to play and we won,” said head coach of the Knights, Scott Wall. “The kids worked on their passing a lot and we were able to change some things up from our normal procedures.”

Consolidated led the game by five at the half and went on to score six goals in the second half of the game. Credited with goals on the day for the Silver and Black were: Spencer Kinnard, four goals; Justin Cooper, three; Aaron Estep, two; Dustin Snider, one goal and one assist; and Alex Jones, one goal and one assist. Also being credited with assists in the game for the Knights were Jared Lantz with two; B.J. Eastham, one; and Brandon Frye, one.

Goal keeper for the visitors, Skylar Kinnard had two saves in goal.

Winning this game will go into the record books at Tyler Consolidated as the 50th win for the soccer team in school history.

On Saturday at home, the Knights faced off with a well rounded, physical and experienced Ravenswood team. Though both teams matched up very evenly with similar records of 12-5-2 (Ravenswood) and 12-5-1 (Tyler Consolidated), the Knights fell short in the scoring department, and added to their loss column by a 3-1 score.

“This was a tough game,” said the coach. “Ravenswood is very good, very physical. They take care of the soccer ball. We played well against them, just not good enough to win this time.”

A defensive battle from the get-go, the Red Devils led the game by only one score at the half, and scored the other two in the second half. With ten minutes to go, the Knights’ Justin Cooper scored on a pass from Giovanni Forner dos Santos to keep the home team from being shut out.

Keeper Skylar Kinnard had six saves on the day.

“The field conditions weren’t as good as we would have liked them to be,” said the coach. “It was sticky and gooey in spots, but it was the same for them. That hampered some of our kids that handle the ball a lot, but it couldn’t be helped.”

“Several of the guys stepped up and played very well in this game,” Wall said. “It’s good for us to have a tough game against an opponent like Ravenswood before we head into Sectional play. I was very pleased with our effort.”

Immediately before the game, Knight seniors on the team were recognized by their team mates and fans in a small ceremony on the field. Seven senior players will graduate in the spring, making this the last game they would play on their home turf. Knight seniors being recognized were: Aaron Estep, Mack Haught, Spencer Kinnard, Trent Tuttle, Dustin Snider, Alex Jones and Curtis Romine.

“There is so much I can say about these seven kids,” Wall said. “They have been a thrill to coach, all seven of them. I’ve been blessed to have been around them for as long as I have. They are really great kids both on and off the field.”

“It’s because of what they have done in the last few years that we have been able to elevate to the level of play that we have. Without them, our soccer program would not be where it is today. These seven are the core group of our team, and I mean that sincerely.”

The Silver Knights will begin Sectional play on Saturday, going into the tournament as the number one seeded team, against the winner of the Magnolia – Morgantown Trinity game which will be held on Wednesday. Should Trinity win that game, they will face the Knights at Brugbacher Field at 4 p.m. on Saturday. And if Magnolia comes out with the win in the first game, the Sectional final on Saturday will begin at 3 p.m.