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Marietta ties Athens for 5th draw of season

By Kerry Patrick 4 min read

DEVOLA - The Marietta boys soccer team is stuck in a vicious cycle comparable to the movie "Groundhog Day' after experiencing a 1-1 tie for the fourth time this season and a match resulting in a tie for the fifth time overall.

Tuesday night at Jerry Brock Field, the Tigers met Athens for the second time this season. And just like the first match in The Plains in mid-August, the two sides finished the match with the result all square at 1-1.

"Five draws in one season -- geez, that's enough," Marietta coach Todd Morris said after his Tigers remained undefeated at home at 3-0-3 and 6-1-5 overall. "We do have a younger group and they are growing up fast. They are learning. We knew going in that our schedule was going to challenge them."

Marietta took a 1-0 lead into halftime thanks to the foot of Graesyn Moat, who scored the team's lone goal at the 5:37 mark of the first half thanks. The sequence began with the alert play of teammate Cole Bergin, who chased down a loose ball just before it crossed the end line.

Voices could be heard nearby along the Athens sidelines telling their defender Matthew Pigman the ball was rolling out of bounds for a goal kick. However, Bergin reeled in the possession and directed the possession towards the middle of the box where several players from both sides booted it around.

Moat finally took control and broke free then made a move that allowed him to find space for his shot inside the left side of the net.

"That was a great finish by Graesyn," Morris said. "I loved our kids' energy in the first half. Not that our energy was bad in the second half, but Athens played much, much better after halftime."

A textbook crossing pass from Billy Talley dribbling down the right side of the field to teammate Theo Smucker on the opposite side of the net exposed an opening after the Marietta keeper made a play trying to deny Talley. Smucker's goal came with 25:54 remaining in regulation.

The pace picked up over the final 20 minutes following idle attempts on goal. Both teams finished with four shots on goal and one corner kick apiece.

With the match still 1-1, Marietta escaped danger in the final 30 seconds of the match. A crossing pass from Noah Stroh found Smucker with basically an open goal just outside the net, but Smucker was unable to stick the potential gamewinner as the shot went wide right.

"The Athens-Marietta rivalry goes back to the 1980s and the SEOAL -- these two schools have had great battles in the 1990s and 2000s," Morris said. "Athens is obviously a program we respect a lot, and one we think will be right there. In our district this year, everybody's beating everybody and tying everybody, so the postseason district tournament is anybody's to win. This one tonight would possibly be a first-round match.

"It's disappointing to have a lead and not see it out, especially on your home field. We will take this under the heading as a hard-fought game. I mean that's all we've had this year is hard-fought games."

Both keepers -- Athens' Enzo Servedio and Marietta's Finn Tindall - only had the one blemish apiece. Otherwise, they maintained stability for their respective teams.

"Marietta is a tough team to beat," Athens coach John Kwakye said after the Bulldogs moved to 7-3-3. "It's been a long time since we won a game here. We will go back to work and work harder. I'm sure (Smucker) feels bad missing that wide-open shot. It happens. You can't be mad because (he is good at scoring goals)."

Contact Kerry Patrick at kpatrick@newsandsentinel.com

Marietta 1, Athens 1

Athens (7-3-3) 0 1 - 1

Marietta (6-1-5) 1 0 - 1

First Half

M: Graesyn Moat, 5:37

Second Half

A: Theo Smucker (Billy Talley assist), 25:54

Next match: John Glenn at Marietta, Thursday; Athens at Fairfield Union, Saturday

Starting at /week.