Saxony Lutheran soccer falls to Poplar Bluff

The Poplar Bluff Mules boys soccer team knocked off the Saxony Lutheran Crusaders of Jackson 2-0 Tuesday at Mules Stadium.

The well-known sayings, “Good things come to those who wait,” and “Patience is a virtue,” applied to this game, in which the Mules broke a 0-0 tie with a goal from Landen Deaton with 2:20 remaining in the game.

Deaton put in his second goal of the night less than a minute later, knocking home the crossing pass assist from Caden Hambrick to seal the game.

“Patience is something we preach,” said Mules head coach Rusty Crafton. “Just be patient with the ball, and we just keep working. We’re trying to tire teams out. That’s our goal, and I think we did that towards the end. We found some gaps and we executed that really well.”

After high temperatures in the 80s for the past several weeks, tonight’s game started at 54 degrees with a brisk wind that made it feel much colder.

The home crowd, huddled up in coats and blankets, got to pay appreciation on senior night to Mules seniors Alex Bedell, Caden Hambrick and Landon Hart.

Neither team scored in the first half, although Poplar Bluff spent most of its time on the Saxony Lutheran side of the field. The Mules put four shots on goal, but none of them came close to scoring.

Likewise, the Crusaders managed three shots in the first half, none of which were a challenge for Mules goalkeeper Darrious Wallace.

Saxony Lutheran played a defensive game in the second half, only sending three players on their offensive rushes, opting to keep the rest back behind midfield for defense.

Although Poplar Bluff controlled the ball again for the greater part of the half, Saxony’s defense was able to close two or three players around any Mules player running deep into their zone.

The Crusaders’ strategy looked as if it would result in a scoreless tie until Deaton emerged from a scrum about 20 yards away from the net and fired a clean shot into the left corner to give the Mules a 1-0 lead late in the game.

Less than a minute later, Hambrick ran up the near sideline toward the corner, faked out a lone defender, and sent a crossing pass in front of the net. Deaton was alone on the right side and buried the shot for the 2-0 lead and the win.

“We just kept working the ball until we found the gaps,” Crafton said. “We just couldn’t find it the first half, but things will open up if we keep possession of the ball, and it worked for us.”

Poplar Bluff improved its record to 10-5-1, while Saxony dropped to 5-4. The Mules’ next game is Thursday at Cape Central (8-5) at 6:30 p.m.