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BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS
Sports Editor, RTC
PLYMOUTH –- Teddy Redinger scored in the first half, but the Class 1A, No. 1 Argos boys soccer team lost to host Plymouth 5-1 Wednesday.
Plymouth, ranked No. 18 in Class 3A, improved to 7-0 with the win.
Argos fell to 5-3.
Selvin Pagoada scored three times for Plymouth. Adrian Cardona and Jose Rosas also scored. Ariel Romero contributed an assist.
Cam Markley assisted on Redinger’s goal for Argos.
Plymouth had a 12-4 advantage in shots on goal. Kurt Johnson had seven saves for Argos.
Pagoada scored first in the fifth minute before Redinger equalized with a strong strike in the upper left-hand corner of the goal past Plymouth keeper Fernando Pacheco.
Seven minutes later, Pagoda took a through ball from Romero and had a step on his Argos defender. He put a low laser beam past Johnson to put Plymouth ahead for good.
“They’re very athletic,” Argos coach Todd VanDerWeele said. “Obviously, they’re quick and fast, and they move the ball that fast too. So it’s hard to adjust to that. I thought we did a really good job for most of the game.”
VanDerWeele also complimented Plymouth for their “soccer sense,” saying that was a read by Romero to get the ball to Pagoada.
Cardona scored the third goal, moving in from the weak side and tucking a low shot inside the left crossbar.
“That probably broke us, and that was the worst of the three because we told them, ‘Cardona is playing on the left. He’s going to cut in.’ And we let him cut in for that shot. We knew he would do that, and we still let him. Those are the difference makers. I always say that good teams will make the other teams pay for mistakes, and we made the mistakes tonight, and they punished us.”
VanDerWeele praised Johnson, despite him allowing five goals. VanDerWeele said he felt like he had to play some players forward or else Plymouth would just advance 10 players beyond midfield. That left fewer players to shield Johnson.
“Last year, Kurt struggled, and I know that’s been eating at him,” VanDerWeele said. “It started in practice last week. He started thinking about playing Plymouth, and he came to play, and I don’t think on any of those (goals), he was at fault. He made some other fine saves, and he came ready to play. It’s too bad. He’s really come of age this year, and it’s too bad that maybe the best game he’s played, and we gave up five. But I thought he was outstanding.”
Argos’ other loss was a 2-1 loss to Oak Hill Aug. 22. Oak Hill is a top 10 team in Class 2A, but VanDerWeele said Plymouth is a step up from Plymouth.
“I have a lot of respect for Oak Hill obviously, but Plymouth, they’re 18th, but they’re top 10 (in Class 3A),” VanDerWeele said. “I have seen enough soccer. They’re top 10. They’re loaded. Their back was a little weak at times tonight, but their front six (and) the backs attack. They’ll be the best team we play this year.”
VanDerWeele also received a yellow card after arguing with the lead official that a second ball wound up in play. There was also a brief skirmish in which both an Argos player and a Plymouth player received yellow cards.
“The Argos-Plymouth game is always very hotly contested…. The nature of the rivalry is that both teams just play hard, and that happens sometimes,” VanDerWeele said. “It’s not from our end, and I don’t think it’s from theirs either. I don’t think there’s any lack of respect. It’s just kids giving it all.”
Jake Stults left the game in the second half with what VanDerWeele feared was a concussion after colliding with a Plymouth player while going for a ball in midair. He did not return.
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