Five different players scored as Seymour’s boys soccer team dominated Jennings County, 6-0, on Thursday night.
The Owls earned a corner kick 15 seconds after the opening kickoff, providing an early indication of the match’s direction. Their first goal came less than two minutes later. Midway through the first half, the score stood at 3-0 and the result was settled.
Seymour’s advantage showed in the final statistics. The Owls took 12 corners compared to Jennings’ two. They outshot the Panthers 25-0.
“All in all, I was pleased we got a win in our last home game and our seniors got to leave the field with their heads held high,” Seymour head coach Matt Dennis said. “My message to the boys was, no matter who the opponent, no matter what the score, I want us to meet our standards as a team. We did some selfish things, but we also did a lot of good things tonight. We can go back on film and say, that’s what good soccer looks like.”
Thursday’s win improved Seymour’s record to 9-5 and 3-2 in the Hoosier Hills Conference. Jennings County slipped to 0-10-3 and 0-5 in the HHC.
After collecting the ball in the middle of the field, 19 yards from goal, Marckenson Paul started the Owls’ offensive onslaught by rifling a shot into the lower right corner past Jennings goalkeeper Derek Simpson.
Just 10 minutes later, Myles Chandler knocked in a free ball sent in front of the Jennings goal by Juan Fernandez to double Seymour’s lead.
Dominic Dennis got into the act with 20:02 left in the first half when he delivered a successful shot from 25 yards over Simpson.
A pleasant trend throughout the contest was the Owls’ well-executed combination play, particularly on the left side. Kayden Cox and Donovan Delgadillo in the back, Evan Unterseher and Bartolome Sebastian in the middle and Chandler, Paul and Dennis up front routinely created opportunities via linked passing.
With 12:52 remaining in the first half, that combination work bore fruit when Sebastian’s pretty entry pass down the left side found a charging Paul, who flicked a selfless crosser to Fernandez who scored into an all-but-empty net.
“We stressed all week the need to play faster, the need to play within one and two-touch soccer, and you saw a lot of that tonight,” Dennis said. “You also saw guys that took 47 touches as they dribbled across the field, but we can address that.”
Just before halftime, Sebastian gave the Owls a commanding 5-0 lead when he scored from close range following a Gaspar Mateo corner.
The five-goal lead prompted the mercy-rule running clock in the second half. Paul capped Seymour’s scoring when he knocked home a shot from the left side of Jennings’ penalty area with a minute remaining in the game.
Thursday’s six scores increased the Owls’ season output to 38 goals, the most since the high-powered 2018 squad scored a staggering 72 goals in 16 games. Seymour averaged 22.8 goals over the past five seasons.
“We’re fast in a lot of places,” Dennis said. “When we play as a team and we get multiple numbers in the attack, all that speed goes forward, then we get our goals. That’s what we’ve been fighting all year, is trying to get everybody on the same page to know how we’re going to attack and how we’re going to put the ball in the back of the net. It’s good when we can do that, because in years past we haven’t. That bodes well for us heading into our last week of the season and the postseason.”
The Owls hit the road next week for their final regular-season matches. On Tuesday, they travel to Greenwood (4-6-3) and then go to Bedford North Lawrence (7-4-1) on Thursday for their final conference game.
Seymour 6, Jennings County 0
Scoring
First half
S-Marckenson Paul, 38:02
S-Myles Chandler (Juan Fernandez), 28:55
S-Dominic Dennis, 20:07
S-Fernandez (Paul), 12:52
S-Sebastian, :50
Second half
S-Paul, 1:00
Statistics
Shots: Jennings Co. 0, Seymour 25
Saves: Jennings Co. 6, Seymour 0
Fouls: Jennings Co. 3, Seymour 11
Corners: Jennings Co. 2, Seymour 12
Varsity record: 9-5-0
JUNIOR VARSITY
Seymour 5, Jennings County 0
Scoring
First half
S-Naythan Hernandez (Braylon Floyd), 33:00
S-Nico Matom (Landon Fugate), 29:00
Second half
S-Floyd (Fugate), 33:30
S-Matom, 32:40
S-Matom, 3:45
JV record: 5-5-3