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Montoursville boys score four second-half goals in rout vs. Bloomsburg

By Jon Gerardi 6 min read

In the span of 21 seconds, Montoursville went from playing in a tight game to blowing the doors open and putting a rout into place.

Montoursville went into halftime holding a one-goal lead thanks to a late first-half score. But five minutes into the second half, lightning struck for the Warriors.

CJ Lucas and Lukas Easton put in back-to-back goals in quick succession in 21 seconds and Montoursville led by three goals and it was all Montoursville from there as the Warriors dominated horn-to-horn against Bloomsburg in a convincing 5-0 victory at Memorial Stadium on Thursday evening.

"It was big for us for the guys to respond at halftime. We knew how to break down their low block. It was just the guys executing the game plan better in the second half," Montoursville coach Adam Mertes said. "We told them at halftime we needed to win the first ten minutes. When you're playing against anybody, just having a one- or two-goal lead you don't want to get comfortable on it. Let’s win the first 10 minutes, put a couple on the board and the guys executed the game plan. They did well."

With 35:29 to play in the second half in a one-goal game, CJ Lucas scored off a Levi Nolan assist for a 2-0 lead. Then just 21 seconds later, Lucas Easton buried a shot off a Nolan assist, and Montoursville suddenly went ahead 3-0.

"That was really nice. We needed it," CJ Lucas said. "I think coach gave us a great halftime talk just telling us we need to come out hard and follow our assignments. We did and we were able to score."

The Warriors kept the foot on the gas in the second half. With 29:50 to play, Liam Lucas scored to the left post on an assist by CJ Lucas to put the Warriors ahead, 4-0, and with 18:20 left, Nolan scored the final goal. Nolan got to inside of the right side of the 18-yard box and fired his shot to the left for the 5-0 lead with an assist by LIam Lucas.

Montoursville completely dominated the game from start to finish. Bloomsburg never fired a single shot through the entire 80 minutes of play as Montoursville not only kept possession, but rarely let Bloomsburg get a counter attack going or get the ball in Montoursville's third of the field.

"I think we knew coming into the game that it'd be a game we could possess the ball more. Every opponent you'll have a different game plan, different strategy," Mertes said. "We knew spots on field to get in behind their defense and was just a matter of getting the right pieces in the right place. I think Levi Nolan today was huge for us on the wing. He's a freshman and he did a great job drawing a second defender and opening the field for us."

"When you possess the ball like that, it makes teams not want to play the game," CJ Lucas added. "You noticed how we scored all of our goals in the second half. We wore teams down with our possession."

Liam Lucas had a chance to score with 25:11 to play in the game. From 15 yards out on the right side of the field, Lucas took a high shot that hit off the football upright above the goal. It was a good look for the Warriors, but just off the mark on the shot.

Montoursville continued to put on pressure in the first half and had two great chances within the final 13 minutes before the Warriors were able to finally break through and put in a goal.

With 12:56 to play in the game, the Warriors' Riccardo Montini Bellosio got a pass from CJ Lucas in front of the six and took a shot to his left. The ball hit off the upright, stayed in play. Montoursville's Hunter Mumbauer quickly tried to put in the rebound, but it was blocked, preventing a great scoring chance.

Roughly three minutes later, Easton attempted a header from just outside the 6-yard box, only to see his shot go just high over the crossbar.

But that persistence pressuring Bloomsburg's defense paid off with 4:24 until halftime.

That's when CJ Lucas was in the right position on Mumbauer's corner to the left side of the 6-yard box as Lucas put in a great header toward the post for a 1-0 lead going into halftime.

"It definitely gave us momentum and confidence for sure," CJ Lucas said. "A lot of games we go in 0-0 and we come back in maybe a little panicky. But I feel we came out with intensity, so it was good."

That momentum would carry over into the second half as the Warriors were happy to see a one-goal lead at the break instead of a scoreless tie.

"It's always going to be nice going in with a lead. Seven games into the season and I'd say we probably out-possessed the other team in probably five of those," Mertes said. "But we just haven't had the execution in the final third. So, to see that shortly before halftime I think gave the guys confidence to just play their game and play a little more relaxed in the second half. And you saw that."

Montoursville ended the game rifling 15 shots against Bloomsburg.

In the second half with 21:20 to go, Montoursville's Solomon Gregory got just inside of the 18 and tried to shoot toward the left post, but his shot went just wide of a possible goal. With 19:10 to play, a Montoursville player got the ball this time down the left-side of the field to 25 yards out. From there, he crossed it to his right to the feet of Gregory, who had a nice look, but had his shot go just narrowly wide.

Montoursville 5, Bloomsburg 0

M--CJ Lucas (Hunter Mumbauer), 4:24. M--CJ Lucas (Levi Nolan), 35:29. M--Lukas Easton (Nolan), 35:08. L--Liam Lucas (CJ Lucas), 29:50. M--Nolan (Liam Lucas), 18:28.

Shots: B 0, M 15. Corners: B 1, M 9. Saves: B (Marc Morisco) 8, M 0 (Mason Fry, Tucker Lakes).

Records: Bloomsburg (0-6-1), Bloomsburg (3-2-2).

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