Scottsbluff shut down Goering's scoring opportunity Saturday morning at the Landers Soccer Complex.
Bearcats keeper JT Painter made three saves (one on a direct kick) as the Scottsbluff boys soccer team closed out its regular season home schedule with a 2-0 win over Gering.
Harrison Mather and Saivian Gonzalez were the only players to score in the game, and both came in the first half. The Bearcats women's team also won 4-2 at home against Gering, led by three goals from Madi Kovarik.
“We settled down in the first half, but I thought we controlled the play really well in the second half,” Scottsbluff coach Nate Locke said.
The Bearcats have been making adjustments to their lineup all season, and that continued Saturday. Sophomore Davian Pavia was placed at center back and made an impact.
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“He played really well,” Lock said. “He's good at stepping to the ball and taking it away. He puts out a lot of fires. (Defensively) There were a lot of personnel changes (during the season).
“(The defense) is built to stop counters and move (opposing offenses) to the sides and back,” Lock said. “We want to slow them down right away, and I think we did a good job of that.”
He said the Bearcats, who travel to Torrington on Tuesday, are also in the developmental stages offensively.
“(In the second half) we were able to go out there and make some good (cross passes), but we still struggled in front of the net,” Lock said. “It's been like that all year. We've got opportunities, but we've got to keep finding ways to put (the ball) in the back of the net. Luckily we got two today.”
Scottsbluff 4, Gering 2
Kovarik had goals in the 21st and 28th minutes to give the Bearcats a 2-0 lead at halftime, and he got his third goal in the second half after the Bulldogs cut the deficit in half.
“She's what you call a poacher,” Bearcats coach Chad Larson said of the senior. “(Her goals) may not always look pretty, but she's always there trying to finish off (her scoring chances) and making sure it's in the back of the net. That's kind of her role.”
Adriana Rodriguez also scored for the Bearcats in the second half, and both teams combined for four goals after intermission.
Allison Harvell and Jacelyn Brown scored for the Bulldogs, with Harvell scoring on a direct kick.
The Bulldogs got on the scoreboard just three minutes into the second half.
“They don't quit, that's for sure,” Larson said of Goering. “They threw that goal off our game plan in the second half, but it was huge for us to come back and take a two-goal lead again.”
Gering coach Krista Weidemann said the Bulldogs made some adjustments during the break.
“The way (Scottsbluff) plays, it just looks a little different defensively,” Weideman said. “It was a little different than the first time we played them (this spring). “I was proud of the way we played (in the second half). We scored two goals and (our other chances) were really good.''
Contact Tim Johnson: sports@starherald.com; 308-632-9050.
