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Ashland, Oregon HOME Valley & State Sports Nation & World Opinion/Editorial Classifieds Business Columnists Local Issues Obituaries Weather Archive Revels Etcetera Backpage Hot Topics Most Viewed Forum Photo Galleries Video Readers Polls O-Zone Online Games Movie Preview Special Sections Real Estate Guide Menu Guide Shakespeare Subscribe Contact Us Rate Card Place an Ad September 12, 2005 Off on the right foot Grizzlies bite Roseburg in SOC-opening romp By Alan Panebaker Tidings Correspondent Boys Soccer : Ashland 3, Roseburg 0 ASHLAND SENIOR STRIKER JOE FALLON attempts to steal the ball from a Roseburg player at Ashland Middle School on Saturday. The Grizzlies controlled the game from start to finish Saturday in a 3-0 win. Kara Q. Lewis | Ashland Daily Tidings Just as the Roseburg High boys soccer team started to catch up to Ashland’s pace Saturday, Ashland striker Joseph Fallon had to crush their hopes with a goal that seemed to be a gift from the divine. Open outside the penalty box, Fallon lofted the ball toward the upper right corner of the Indians’ net. Hitting the far post with a thud, the ball toppled back into the net behind Roseburg keeper Cuyler Zeigler. An impossible shot. “Once (the ball) left my foot, I expected it to hit the crossbar,” Fallon said. “The wind kind of helped me out. It died right at the right moment.” Fallon’s goal came early in the second half with Ashland already leading 1-0 after a penalty kick scored by Cory Fisher in the first half. The Grizzlies went on to beat the Indians, 3-0, in both teams Southern Oregon Conference opener at Ashland Middle School. Through a cool drizzle, the Grizzlies met all expectations that had been set for an opening game. Lead by Fisher, Ashland showed that it could out-hustle and control the field in its victory over Roseburg. “Always, the first game is the hardest,” Ashland head coach Eisa Tiaa Toutou said. “You’re so excited to play that your touches are not there.” Toutou said he was pleased with the opening spark to ignite what he hopes will be an epic season. Hesitating to speak too soon, Toutou said he has very high expectations for this year’s varsity team as long as the Grizzlies can maintain their composure throughout the season. “If we take one game at a time, I think that will do us best,” Toutou said. And at the heart of Toutou’s hopeful varsity crew is Fisher, the team captain and all-star midfielder. A senior this year, Fisher plays with the strength and composure of a seasoned veteran. Ashland 3, Roseburg 0 Stars : Ashland senior midfielder Cory Fisher scores two goals. Next up : Ashland at Grants Pass, 4 p.m. Tuesday. The Ashland star, who nearly scored a hat trick in Saturday’s game, talks with the same calm demeanor with which he plays soccer. He gave props to his teammates for working hard and having a good showing for their opening game. “I think we played pretty well for our first game,” Fisher said. “We were pretty anxious and pretty nervous though.” Fisher, however, appears to play with nerves of steel. With a crisp penalty kick scored in the lower left pocket of the net and a final goal in the second half, the senior displayed a cool professionalism that is rare in high school athletes. His only qualm is wishing his teammates would talk to him more. “The one thing we need to work on is that we’re pretty quiet,” Fisher said. “There are some players who are a little quiet, and it’s hard to know where they are.” And as Toutou and Fisher would agree, Roseburg was no easy rival for a first game. “They’re good hustlers,” Toutou said. And Roseburg’s head coach, Steve Kaser, said his team put up a good fight against a tough adversary. Since Ashland was favored to win — the Grizzlies were rated No. 1 in the conference in an SOC preseason coaches poll — Kaser’s Indians gave the Grizzlies perhaps more of a run for their money than they were expecting. “It took us a while to get our composure,” Kaser said of his team’s play. “We started to get our feet underneath us, and then all of the sudden you’re down two to nothing.” However, despite Roseburg’s increased hustle in the beginning of the second half, Ashland continued to dominate the field and maintain control of the ball consistently until the final whistle. And as the sun came out in the end, the season for the Ashland Grizzlies looked just as bright. Next up for the Grizzlies is a road match Tuesday at Grants Pass. Alan Panebaker is a correspondent for the Ashland Daily Tidings. To comment on this article, contact Sports Editor Joe Zavala at 482-3456 ext. 3020 or [email protected]. --> Copyright © 2006 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers. All Rights Reserved.