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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Guide Weather Subscribe Contact Us November 8, 2004 Winning ugly: Ashland sneaks past Springfield By Jennifer Squires Ashland Daily Tidings It only takes one goal to win a soccer match and, on Saturday afternoon, that's all Ashland could muster in the 1-0 win over a scrappy Springfield High team in the first round of the OSAA Class 4A boys soccer state playoffs. Ashland High midfielder Corey Costantino goes high into the air to head the ball as a Springfield opponent struggles to gain position. The Grizzlies won the OSAA Class 4A first round state playoff match, 1-0, to move into the round of 16. Andrew Mariman | Ashland Daily Tidings The Grizzlies had a tough time getting their offense rolling and, until the final 15 minutes or so at the Ashland Middle School upper field, it looked like the No. 3 seed from the Midwestern League had a shot at pulling off the upset. In fact, with just over a minute left in regulation, a communication breakdown between junior goalkeeper Gregory Cross and the Ashland backfield left the ball resting unattended just outside the box. Springfield senior midfielder Dylan Fritz saw the ball before any Grizzlies could get there. Fritz dribbled forward and missed badly, looping the ball to the left of the goal and out-of-bounds. Disaster averted, Ashland could breathe a sigh of relief. "We just didn't play to our full potential. I don't know why," Grizz senior striker Thomas Golding said. "Ugly wins count in the playoffs, so it doesn't really matter." Ashland earned it's lone goal in the 16th minute when sophomore wing Rodrigo Ramos controlled a pass from senior midfielder Corey Costantino, slipped up the far side of the field and just inside the box to drive the ball into the back corner of the net. After that, the Grizz defense and midfield managed to stifle any Miller scoring opportunities while the offense struggled to create shots on goal. "Defense absolutely stood out for us today," Grizz head coach Eisa Tiaa Toutou said. "All five in the back and Greg and our midfielders, Costantino and [Cory] Fisher, tried to control the ball the way we do." Cross recorded a shutout with the help of sweeper Nico Walker, stoppers Roberto Ramos and Fisher and fullbacks Matthew Pavlich and Cory Lescher. "I think we got it together in the last 10 minutes when we knew we had to," Golding said. "We played hard. We wanted it more than they did." A different game Instead of playing their typical "beautiful soccer" that trips up other teams with intricate passes and strong ball-control, the Grizzlies fell into the rough-and-tumble world of Springfield soccer and had a hard time breaking free to play their own game. "We played their game," Tiaa Toutou said. "We played kick-run-kick-run and that's not Ashland soccer." The Grizzlies were caught off-guard by the Millers. It didn't take Springfield long to start slide-tackling Ashland players, throw an extra elbow or, in one case, just grab a Grizzly by the ankles as he stood up and drop him back down to the grass. "When we get surprised, we panic," Tiaa Toutou said, adding that a lot of the Grizzlies don't have playoff experience. "We just had to pick it up and play our game and not get into the drama. Soccer is soccer." Although it wasn't pretty, Ashland still managed to dominate offensively, outshooting Springfield 15-5 and holding the edge on corner kicks 5-2. "We need to wake up and play better soccer," Tiaa Toutou said. "That is the topic for Monday. We're going to come down and pass the ball around." Ashland doesn't have long to regroup. The Grizzlies will face Mountain View of Bend at home in the second round of the state playoffs at 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The Grizzlies defeated the Intermountain League No. 2 squad 2-0 in a nonconference game earlier in the fall. DailyTidings.com Home Page Archives | Revels | Classifieds | Real Estate Guide | Weather | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2005 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Slippers Isotoner Slippers Dsw Shoes Ceramic Piggy Banks Fanny Mae Eloans Calenders 2005 Calender 2005 Accelerate Weight Loss Programs Citibank Student Loans Acs Loan Matchmaking & Dating Scripts Adventure Travel Conference Calls - $50/Month Security Systems student loan consolidation helzberg diamonds Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams