DANVILLE, Ky. – Maryville broke into the win column in a big way Friday night with a 3-0 shutout of Spalding. The match was the opener of the 34th Annual Bob Allen Nissan Classic, hosted by Centre.
Hyatt McDonald,
Noah Putman and
Caleb Platillero scored the Maryville goals over a 25-minute stretch of the first half. Maryville then held the Golden Eagles off the scoreboard for the first time all season to claim the victory.
"The guys played great," Maryville head coach
Pepe Fernandez said. "We dominated the first half and played very smart and managed the game well in the second half."
Maryville scored first right on the 15-minute mark off a corner kick.
Jorge Graniel lofted a terrific ball into the box, where it ping-ponged a bit before McDonald gained control and rifled it home from close range.
The second Scots goal came off a free kick taken by
Aidan McWilliams from just in front of the Spalding bench. McWilliams fired a line drive into the box, where Putman beat his defender to the ball and redeflected it on the short hop into the net from 5 yards out.
Maryville made it 3-0 just before halftime. Seemingly stalled near midfield,
Ben Slay broke away from his defender and found an open Platillero with a step on his man. Platillero settled the pass with his left thigh and allowed it to hop twice before he fired low and firm into the left corner.
Defense Preserves Shutout
Mykal Manfred made three saves and his teammates made them stand for his ninth career shutout and his 27th career victory.
McWilliams fired a team-high four shots, including two on target, while
Craig McIlwraith had three shot attempts and two were on the net.
Maryville finished with an 18-9 edge in overall shots and a 10-3 advantage in shots on goal. The Scots posted a 9-8 margin in corner kicks. Ball possession for the match was split 50-50, although Maryville did have a 55-45 advantage during the key opening 45 minutes.
The Scots with the win improved to 1-2-1, while Spalding is now 1-1-1. Maryville completes its three-match Kentucky trip Sunday against host Centre, which was 1-1-0 heading into Friday night's contest against LaGrange.