Fairmont falls to Eagles in season opener
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FAIRMONT - Ryan Pap seemed to do no wrong on Monday night. Outside of scoring both of Southwest Minnesota Christian's goals at the 10:31 and 3:29 marks in the first half, Pap provided the game-sealing deflection as the final horn sounded.
Ricardo Antonio Morales Herrera of Fairmont was set to attempt his second consecutive corner kick with less than a minute to play. Firing from the far side of the pitch, the cross deflected off Pap's shoulder before trickling outside of the penalty box. The Eagles’ late defensive stand sealed what was their first win of the season, topping the Cardinals 2-1 at Jeffrey Kot Fields.
For Fairmont head coach Brady Meyer, the defeat, while not ideal, saw a handful of positive moments on both sides of the field. One of the first things Meyer noticed was seeing his lineup continue to mesh as the game went on. A solid starting point in the season opener that he and his coaching staff can build on.
"I think we got some of the jitters out from some of those younger guys today," Meyer said. "Just saw them progress throughout the game, which was really good to see. I think the next time we play these guys, it'll be a different game. We were a bit shallow on our reserves. ...But we liked what we saw."
An obvious highlight from the contest happened within the first five minutes. After the Cardinals’ defense cleared an opposing threat, the ball wiggled its way to forward Dawson O'Brien on the left side. Taking a couple of dribbles, the freshman saw Nathan Paris sprinting over the middle of the field with a step against two white jerseys.
O'Brien made a swift pass ahead to his striding running mate, who then turned to strike the ball past Josiah Hoftyzer on the right side of the net. The O'Brien and Paris combination is something Meyer hopes to see continue as the season progresses, and on Monday night, it gave Fairmont the early advantage.
"It was great to get the first one of the season. Kind of just getting it out of the way," Meyer said. "It was a great play from Dawson, our freshman coming in and contributing right away. Just really nice to see."
Returning goalkeeper Brody Deuel and his defensive line continued to hold the Eagles to zero for the next 25 minutes. Deuel, who finished his night with seven deflections, made a handful of diving stops on both sides of the crossbar.
"Brody played a really good game," Meyer said. "He's such an anchor back there; I think we come to take him for granted sometimes. But he played a phenomenal game yet again today and kept us in it."
But the minimal substitutions continued to wear on Fairmont. It left more and more opportunities for the Eagles past midfield.
Pap sent in the equalizer after finding the ball within a swarm of SMC and Cardinal players. The forward then struck again seven minutes later. Finding the ball from teammate Graham Moosey on a breakaway chance, Pap struck his second score through the net's right side to give his team the lead for good.
Take away those two plays, which stemmed from what Meyer called a simple miscommunication, and Fairmont played a sound game. The Cardinal defense blanked Pap and his offense during the final 40 minutes. A handful of key clearances and four more saves from Deuel gave Fairmont a chance to tie things up.
But the offense couldn't find its footing after the O'Brien-Paris connection. Meyer's team had a handful of possessions within enemy lines during the final stretch. The closest they came was from the two Herrera corner chances in the final minute.
Fairmont will continue its season on Tuesday night. The Cardinals travel to New Ulm for a contest that's set to start at 7:00 p.m. SMC takes on Central Minnesota Christian this Thursday at 4:30 p.m.