vikingssportsn HOPEWELL TWP– Hopewell and Ambridge battled through a scoreless opening half last night, with the Vikings matching the Bridgers through the first 40 minutes. The second half brought four goals and plenty of momentum shifts before the final whistle sounded with Ambridge ahead 3-1.
On Senior Night, Hopewell’s veteran defense set the tone in the opening half. With a back line made up entirely of seniors (Sam Wrzesniewski, Dominic Buchanan, Elijah Persi-Jones and RJ Bushnell) along with senior goalkeeper Tallon Coleman, the Vikings were able to hold Ambridge scoreless through the first 40 minutes.
Ambridge tested the Vikings early and often, but Coleman repeatedly answered. He made several saves during the opening 40 minutes and aggressively came off his line on multiple occasions to disrupt developing attacks. On one dangerous Ambridge breakaway, Coleman came out of the box to challenge the attacker and helped force a wide shot.
Hopewell’s defense provided plenty of support in front of him. During another stretch of Ambridge pressure, Coleman came out to challenge while Buchanan and Wrzesniewski dropped behind him to protect the open net. Persi-Jones also delivered an important stop late in the half, breaking up an Ambridge press and helping Hopewell transition back into the attack.
The Vikings had chances of their own.
Aaden Gonzalez created an early opportunity by controlling the ball in front of the net, while Quincy Sannan later put an attempt from around the 25-yard line on goal. A Hopewell free kick provided another dangerous look when Sannan sent the ball toward NyKyeron Leonora, whose leader was collected by the Ambridge goalkeeper.
One of Hopewell’s better 1st half opportunities began with RJ Bushnell, who intercepted the ball and found Gonzalez, who carried it forward and got a shot on goal, but the Ambridge keeper made the save. James Pistorius also contributed to Hopewell’s attack, connecting on several strong passes from the left side to help move the ball forward and create offensive opportunities during the beginning of the first half. Hopewell nearly generated one more chance before the whistle when Bushnell found Jaidyn Shoemaker on a break, but time expired before the Vikings could develop the attack.
The teams headed into halftime tied 0-0.
After nearly 50 scoreless minutes, the second half began to unfold much differently.
Ambridge finally broke through connecting on a cross to an attacker in front of the net for the game’s first goal.
Hopewell continued battling defensively. Coleman punched a dangerous Ambridge free kick from around midfield over the net to force a corner, and Buchanan came through with a big defensive stop to deny another dangerous opportunity. Wrzesniewski, Bushnell and Persi-Jones continued to come up with key interceptions, using those stops to carry the ball up field.
Ambridge nevertheless found its second goal on a free kick from around the 20-yard line, putting Hopewell in a 2-0 hole.
Hopewell continued to battle, and Gonzalez helped create the opportunity the Vikings needed. After controlling the ball as he worked his way into the box, Gonzalez drew a foul to earn a penalty kick. He stepped up to take the shot himself and sent it past the Ambridge goalkeeper for Hopewell’s first goal of the night, cutting the deficit to 2-1 and brining the Vikings within one.
The goal sparked another offensive push from the Vikings as Shoemaker had a good run where he found Bushnell in front of the net for a shot attempt, while Buchanan later lofted a ball forward to Leonora for another attempt that was collected by the goalkeeper. Hopewell also continued fighting to main possession. Buchanan connected with Tyler Armour, who sliding effort kept a play alive and helped force a Hopewell throw-in. Will Arzberger, Parker Hoth, Justin Dennis and Dylan Ankrom also contributed to ball movement in the middle trying to get the tying goal.
As the game entered its closing stages, Ambridge threatened again. Bushnell hustled back defensively to help slow an Ambridge run before Coleman came out and made another big play on the ball.
A controversial call followed late in the game when Coleman came off his line to challenge the Ambridge attack and punched the ball away. Despite appearing to make a play on the ball, Coleman had the foul called on him, and Ambridge was awarded a free kick. Ambridge converted and extended its lead to 3-1.
Hopewell continued looking for another goal in the closing minutes. Kaleb Gonzalez put a late attempt on frame, but the Ambridge goalkeeper collected it. Elijah Rodriguez also came into the attack to try and add some speed in the final minutes.
The final whistle ended a hard-fought matchup that felt as though it could have swung in Hopewell’s direction at any moment. The Vikings continued to battle, creating chances and refusing to back down despite a frustrating night. The boys fought until the final whistle, but this time around, the breaks just didn’t seem to fall their way.
FINAL SCORE: AMBRIDGE 3 HOPEWELL 1
Hopewell will have a day off before returning to the field on Thursday when they travel to South Side in a varsity match only. Following that, the Vikings have a non-conference matchup on Saturday at Central Valley.
