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North boys punctuate return home with romp By TIM PYLE Varsity boys soccer matches at Hoffbuhr Field are more than a rumor. But before Tuesday afternoon's Southern Oregon Conference-opening tangle with Crater, North Medford may have had trouble believing that. After five non-conference games on the road, the Black Tornado celebrated its first home match of the season by scoring four first-half goals in disposing of the Comets, 4-1. "We were passing the ball, getting things wide and then we were winning a lot of the 50-50 balls," coach Rich Garcia said of North's first-half frenzy. "Maybe today was a breakthrough game for us." For senior forward Evan McArthur, the Hoffbuhr layoff had been even longer than for the rest of the Tornado. A shortstop/pitcher for North, he spent last fall honing his baseball skills rather than playing soccer. He had an easy answer for why he returned to soccer - "I love it" - and felt the crowd's love at his first-ever varsity home match by scoring two goals and adding an assist. In the ninth minute, McArthur kick-started the scoring by beating a Crater defender along the left end line and crossing a pass that eventually found sophomore right midfielder Ian Norgan's left foot near the top of the penalty box. With a Comet defender hustling to crowd him, Norgan beat Crater senior goalkeeper Paco Kurzyniec to the near post. McArthur scored a goal admittedly unlike any he had tallied before in the 23rd minute. Making the most of an assist from senior forward Zach Taylor, McArthur used the side of his head from near the 6-yard mark to loft a one-time shot over Kurzyniec and into the far corner. About seven minutes later, senior midfielder Kedric Charlton dribbled past a pair of Comets defenders on the right side of the penalty box and delivered to McArthur, who was all alone at about 18 yards on the left side. McArthur converted with a liner to the near post. Four minutes later, senior midfielder Dan Torrey capped the Tornado (3-1-1 overall, 1-0 SOC) scoring barrage by winning a battle for another Taylor pass and finishing a one-on-one with Kurzyniec to the left side. Crater rebounded to play much better in the second half, especially early, but the deficit proved insurmountable. Senior center midfielder Jason Licato did get the Comets (2-3, 0-1 SOC) on the scoreboard with a sliding finish off a throw-in by senior right midfielder Eric Baker in the 47th minute. "They're way bigger and stronger than I thought," said the Comets' sixth-year coach, Larry Holm, of North. "We came in here and, I think, were intimidated. "At the half, we talked ball control and that we were playing for pride. They had a 4-0 lead. I didn't want to leave here with a 4-0 score." By knocking home four of their 10 first-half shots, North buried Crater and served notice that it's in the hunt for its first league crown since 1994. "If we keep playing like this - we have, I think, the strongest defense in the league - I think so," McArthur said, assessing his team's chances of contending with SOC-favorites Klamath Union and South Medford. Garcia, who has 13 seniors on his 17-man roster, also believes the Tornado can be a force. "My top 11 starters can compete," said the 10th-year North coach, whose team went 5-2 for third place in the SOC last season. "It just depends if we can get the kids coming off the bench because we're not as deep as we were last year. "Everybody's got to come on and play hard, and hopefully nobody gets injured. That's the other key." And rumor has it that the Tornado's remaining two home matches just happen to be against KU and South. Garcia, McArthur and company hope Hoffbuhr proves as sweet for those league showdowns as it did for Tuesday's opener. Reach reporter Tim Pyle at 776-4483 or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.