Regional Boys Soccer: Klausing scores twice as O-G wins
By JAMIE BAKER
Staff Writer
Sometimes it pays to be in the right place at the right time.
Ottawa-Glandorf senior Zack Klausing was in the right place at the right time on two occasions and he made Bluffton pay.
Klausing scored a pair of second-half goals as the Titans rallied to knock off Bluffton 2-1 in a Division III regional semifinal boys soccer match on a crisp, cold night before a packed house at Elmer Graham Stadium Tuesday.
With the win, Ottawa-Glandorf (15-3-3) advances to take on Doylestown Chippewa (17-1-2), a 2-1 winner over Huron, in the regional finals Saturday at 3 p.m. at Ashland. Bluffton closed its season with a 10-7-1 record.
"The kid has wheels and he creates problem after problem," said Ottawa-Glandorf coach Mike Weihrauch referring to Klausing. "Fortunately, on the two goals he scored he didn't have to depend on his wheels as much as being in the right place and capitalizing on the opportunity."
For awhile, it looked like the Titans weren't ever going to get the ball in the net.
Bluffton, which entered the game with three straight shoot-out wins in the tournament, was able to take advantage of its limited scoring opportunities in the first half.
Bluffton junior midfielder Jeremy Enneking booted a perfectly-placed corner kick that senior forward Jaden August, the Pirates' career scoring leader, was able to knock past Ottawa-Glandorf goalkeeper Nick Leatherman and into the net with 2:35 left until halftime.
It was the first goal in regulation for the Pirates, who played Ottawa-Glandorf to a scoreless tie back on Oct. 1, in more than 21/2 matches.
Despite being down 1-0 at the break, the Titans were still feeling good about things considering they had a 7-3 edge over the Pirates in shots in the first half.
"Starting at halftime we knew the game wasn't over. We gave up one shot on goal the entire first half and they scored on it. That part of it was frustrating," Weihrauch said.
"We knew if we kept pressure up and kept them running they were going to wear out eventually."
The Titans stuck to their plan and it paid dividends in the second half.
Ottawa-Glandorf ran subs in and out often after the break. The fresh-legged Titans were able take control, relentlessly pushing the ball upfield trying to get on the scoreboard.
Ottawa-Glandorf senior Jordan Alt centered a nice pass to Klausing who blasted the ball past Bluffton goalkeeper Fred Freeman to tie the match at 1-1 with 24:04 remaining in the match.
The game looked to be headed to overtime. But Ottawa-Glandorf freshman T.J. Metzger drove a pass into the box that Klausing got a foot on and deflected it into the net for the game-winner with 2:18 left.
"The ball came in about knee-high. I knew the goalie was behind me. I wasn't really going for the goal," Klausing said. "I was trying to get it to a teammate behind me, but it worked. I was looking for someone else to finish it."
In the end, it was O-G's depth that proved too much for the Pirates to overcome.
"You saw how many guys they lined up to start the game. They had four or five bench players so we knew if we could set the tempo and make it a track meet, they were going to wear down," Weihrauch said.
"At the end they still had a little push going forward but you could tell defensively they were starting to wear down."
Ottawa-Glandorf finished with a 13-7 edge in shots. Leatherman recorded five saves for the Titans while Freeman had nine stops for the Pirates.
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