The Cheney boys soccer team earned a split with the Spokane Valley schools last week. The Blackhawks knocked off West Valley 2-0 on April 11, but fell 3-0 to league-leading East Valley on April 15.
Cheney head coach Morgan Hartanov said his team “played great ball” at home against the Eagles. The Blackhawks played their style of game, possessing and controlling the ball to create scoring chances.
The first came in the 20th minute. Cheney’s attack resulted in pressure on the West Valley goal, with Noah Prophet flipping a pass behind his back to Graham West who knocked it into the net.
Cheney got an insurance goal in the 78th minute, again attacking as a team that enabled Dillon Newbry to break open and put a crossing shot from Noah Shorzman into the goal for the score.
“He’s just a workhorse,” Hartanov said of Newbry.
Cheney out shot West Valley 15-5.
Saturday at East Valley it was the Great Northern League leading Knights who played their game, using set pieces for scoring chances in the box and frustrating Cheney all day. Two of the Knights’ goals came off throw ins, something Hartanov said shouldn’t happen and which his team practices against regularly.
The first came three minutes into the match, with Colton Sior scoring on a throw in by Devonte Gorman. Gorman repeated the scenario in the 50th minute for East Valley’s final goal, with Zach Bowsky capitalizing on the throw in for the score.
“Unfortunately, it was just one of those games,” Hartanov said.
East Valley out shot Cheney 10-4, with goalkeeper Dalton Mauzay making seven saves.
Hartanov said the Knights seem to be Cheney’s biggest challenge, and that while a talented team, he believes it’s a mental issue for his Blackhawks.
“They are our kryptonite,” Hartanov said.
The split gives Cheney a 5-3 record in the GNL, 7-4 overall, heading into the final go-round of league play. The Blackhawks faced a crucial game Tuesday at Pullman against the second-place Greyhounds (6-2, 8-4), and return home to take on Clarkston today (Thursday).
Cheney and Pullman have split the season series 1-1, with each earning a win on the opposition’s home pitch. The Greyhounds are hot right now, owning a six-game league winning streak that includes 1-0 shootout wins over Cheney and East Valley.
Hartanov said a Blackhawks win could go a long way towards earning them home field advantage through most of the upcoming league playoffs, especially given Cheney hosts East Valley in their final regular season game.
John McCallum can be reached at [email protected].
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