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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels September 29, 2004 Grizzlies start slow, finish strong, rock Pels By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings What a difference a halftime can make. Ashland junior striker Joseph Fallon tries to control the ball as Klamath Union senior midfielder Kenny Blevins defends during the Grizzlies' 4-1 Southern Oregon Conference win, Tuesday afternoon at Ashland Middle School. Andrew Mariman | Ashland Daily Tidings Held in check through the first 40 minutes, Ashland High unleashed its full arsenal in the second half and throttled Klamath Union 4-1 Tuesday, in Southern Oregon Conference boys soccer action at Ashland Middle School. The Grizzlies enjoyed a gargantuan shots-on-goal advantage throughout, but couldn't capitalize early on. A slight change in strategy changed all that. "First half, we were really anxious to put one in the net, but in the second half we slowed down, played our normal game and just played around them," Grizz midfielder Cory Fisher said. "We waited for opportunities more." Game time That patience paid off immediately. Only five minutes into the second half, Grizzly defender Matt Pavlich hit forward Fabian Garcia-Flores with a perfectly placed lob just outside the box. Garcia-Flores headed it into the right corner of the net, breaking the scoreless tie and opening up the floodgates. The score forced the Pelican defense to take a few more chances, which played right into Ashland's hands. Two minutes later, in the 46th minute, Brady Case found a streaking Logan Steinfeld in the box. Steinfeld sidestepped a diving KU goal keeper then calmly booted goal No. 2 into an empty net. Pavlich made it 3-0 in the 59th minute when his free kick from 30 yards out bended just under the cross bar, and Thomas Golding scored Ashland's final goal at point blank range off an assist by Hugh Bitzer. The Pelicans avoided the shutout when Adam Cornachione scored from 20 yards out in stoppage time, but by then the outcome was a done deal. "Once we got that first one they had to step out of the box a bit," Pavlich said. "In the first half, they had nine or 10 guys in their half of the field. I don't know if they were playing for the 0-0 draw, but we got that impression." The match completed Ashland's first go-round through the SOC's new double round-robin format. The Grizzlies couldn't be in a much better position: they're 5-1 in league play, tied with North Medford atop the league standings. Roseburg (4-2) and South Medford (4-2) both sit a game behind in the standings. "We expected to be there," Ashland head coach Eisa Tiaa Toutou said. "We know we can beat anybody." Domination Though the score was tied at the break, there was no question which team had the upper hand. Ashland allowed only two shots on goal in the first half and no corner kicks while dominating the battle for field position. By the end of the game, Ashland had a 30-7 advantage in shots taken, including 17-4 in shots on goal. The Grizzlies also generated 10 corner kicks to Klamath Union's one. Still, the Grizzlies couldn't cash in on a series of first-half scoring opportunities. In the 11th minute, Golding's header off a nice feed from Fisher sailed too high. In the 28th minute, Grizz midfielder Corey Costantino got a shot away after a corner kick, but the hard, low boot was deflected by the goal keeper. Four minutes later Costantino was at it again, but this time his rocket from 25 yards out missed wide right. He's baaaack Ashland's offensive onslaught came despite the fact that Garcia-Flores, possibly the league's best play-maker, sat out after missing a practice with a sore back. His second-half entrance put the Grizzlies over the top. "He came in and he opened up the game," Pavlich said. "He's got talents that clearly no one else has in the SOC, so as long as he's in there it helps us out." Garcia-Flores' first appearance coincided with Ashland's shift in strategy. The Grizzlies attacked at every opportunity in the first half, but made a concerted effort to pull the ball back out and reload as often as possible in the second half. Eventually, KU's sagging defense spread out, opening up holes for the likes of Golding, Steinfeld and Garcia-Flores. Garcia-Flores' score further loosened up the Pelican defense. It marked the death knell for KU: Once the match was boiled down to a battle of skill, the Pels had no chance. Tiaa Toutou thought the Grizzlies should have been in that position much earlier. "We make it hard on ourselves sometimes," he said. "We should just play our game and let it come." Ashland kicks off the second half of its SOC schedule Saturday against Roseburg, at the Ashland Middle School upper field. After that, the Grizzlies have only two more matches against Grants Pass and Crater before crucial rematches against North Medford (Oct. 16) and South Medford (Oct. 19). Pavlich said the first round of league play has only strengthened the Grizzlies' confidence. "We think that in the second half we're going to see our performances increase even more," he said. "We know if we play our game, we don't have to fear anybody." 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