TYRONE – The Philipsburg-Osceola soccer Mounties returned to the business of punishing Mountain League Allegheny Division foes yesterday with a 10-1 thrashing of the Golden Eagles.
The Mounties ran the table against Tyrone, Clearfield and Huntingdon earlier this season with wins in Philipsburg, but the games, due to the Mountain League’s unbalanced schedule, held no weight in the division or league standings. Now, the Mounties must repeat the treble on the road to secure the Allegheny Division pennant and a berth in the Mountain League Final on October 22 in Wingate.
It was easy going for the Mounties, who ran out to a 3-0 half-time lead as they cashed in on two set pieces and an Antonino Turrigiano unassisted strike from just outside the six. Mountie center back Alex Gray broke the ice at the 8 minute mark heading home the long, arcing throw-in of his center half partner, Taylor Golemboski. Turrigiano then struck when the ball found its way to him deep in the Tyrone box where he set himself and casually fired home. The third goal came from Golemboski as he finished the corner kick of sophomore defense-man Nick Boumerhi.
Senior striker Greg Kojadinovich netted a brace inside the first seven minutes of the second half when junior defense-man Caleb Henry found him on the end of a long ball in from his high right back. Moments later, senior striker Dustin Fisch was rushing the near post of Tyrone keeper Kyle Fink when he picked out Kojadinovich with a deft feed across the goal-mouth.
Fisch then went from providing to receiving service in the 58th minute when Nick Boumerhi curled an in-swinger from the right back position to the back post where Fisch nodded just inside the post to run the Mounties to a 6-0 count. Turrigiano made it 7-0 in the 63rd minute on a nearly identical play authored by the inswinging cross of junior midfielder Jarrett Rockey.
Two minutes later, though, as the Mounties appeared to be experimenting with their possession game, an errant pass was picked off and sent through Tyrone sophomore midfielder Ben Shetler to sophomore forward Alex Bartlett who knocked the chance home. But 7-1 was all the joy Tyrone would find on the day.
The Boumerhi brothers, Nick and Alex, quickly combined for three scores in the space of eight minutes with a powerful display of shooting one-upsmanship.
Kojadinovich was showing back for a ball around the midfield stripe when he picked out Nick Boumerhi on a wicked overlapping run down the left. The Mountie left back sailed into the Tyrone box where the younger Boumerhi finished from the keeper’s doorstep.
Not to be outdone, Alex Boumerhi found himself in oceans of space in the center of the field 30 yards out from goal. Boumerhi flashed his raw power by leveling a low rising shot that seemed to surprise Tyrone net-minder Kyle Fink as it crashed in under the bar.
Young Boumerhi would go Alex one better yet again when the Mountie free kick specialist gained possession just across midfield. Lil’ Boomy, as he is called by his teammates, drifted to his right and unleashed a monster from 45 yards, struck with technical ferocity, that beat Fink high in what must have been a nightmare of deja-vu.
“You think you’ve seen it all,” said Mountie coach Tom Petro. “We know Boomy can strike from 30 yards if he’s given room and his shot was just filthy. But then Lil’ Boomy hit that 45 yarder and I just do not think I have the words to describe that shot. I don’t know how a keeper can expect something like that.”
The display of sheer scoring might, according to Petro, has not been seen by a pair of brothers at P-O since the mid-1990’s when the Coble brothers, Ryan and Adam, were setting all the Mountie scoring records.
“Ryan and Adam were marksmen. They still are,” said Petro. “But for the sheer technique of the strike, I have never seen anyone hurt the ball the way Alex and Nick Boumerhi do.”
GAME NOTES
The Mounties won all the statistical battles on the day: 21 shots to five and four corner-kicks to one for Tyrone. Junior keeper Jay Prentice and freshman Mitchell Winters shared time in the Mountie goal with each making two saves apiece. Golden Eagle keeper Kyle Fink made five saves.
PO raises its record to 9-2-1 overall and plays host Thursday night at 7 p.m. to Central Mountain in an important Mountain League game. Tyrone drops to 2-10 and travels to Huntingdon Thursday for a 5:30 kickoff.
The junior varsity match ended in a 2-2 draw. Mountie tallies were notched by Levi Muir (from Jay Prentice) and Brian Evans (from Zack Coudriet).
It is Mountie Tradition to name a “Man of the Match.” Today’s varsity honoree is Nick Boumerhi who scored twice and assisted on two other goals. The junior varsity honor goes to Zack Ament for outstanding play on the left wing.
