If the Hamilton boys soccer team wanted to pick a time to get beat, then it was better to have it happen now, rather than later this month.
The state Class D no. 1-ranked Emerald Knights saw its long unbeaten streak ended Thursday by Mount Markham in a 1-0 loss to the Mustangs.
Two of the Center State Conference’s elite teams gathered in frigid conditions, as Mount Markham carried a 9-3 mark into the contest against Hamilton, who stood at 11-1-1 and hadn’t lost a game since the 2007 season.
They played through a 0-0 first half, with Hamilton getting all kinds of chances to break through, only to get stopped by a resilient Mustang defense. That frustration would continue in the late stages, as Mount Markham goalkeeper Jared Drymond stopped all 12 shots he faced.
For his part, Kinnon Nolan-Finkel had 10 saves. But in the second half, Mount Markham’s Tyler Curtin, off a pass from Jacob Joseph, flung a shot past Nolan-Finkel for the game’s only goal.
As it began the week, the Hamilton girls soccer team boasted a 10-2 record and a no. 7 state Class D ranking.
But the Emerald Knights were not boasting as much following last Wednesday’s 3-1 loss to West Canada Valley in Center State Conference play.
A poor first half by Hamilton’s defense proved costly as the Indians, with a 6-5-2 mark going into the game, turned scoring chances into goals.
All the Emerald Knights could get was Carrie VonMuench scoring off a feed from Kinzea Jones. Alexa DiSpirito, Jennie Maxwell and Sarah Wlatr put in goals for WCV to overcome Jordan Peterson’s 14 saves.
