The Duncan Demons faced an uphill battle in their season opener against Lawton High with four starters missing from the lineup. Despite the disadvantage, the Demons hung tough throughout most of the match before a last flurry of Lawton High goals lifted the visitors to a 4-1 win.
Billy Adamson’s goal in the first half lifted Duncan to a 1-0 lead but Lawton High’s offensive pressure bore through and in the end, a fatigued Duncan team wore down late.
“Fatigue was a factor,” Duncan coach Marcus Williams said. “It was bittersweet. I am pleased with the effort but there are things we need to work on.”
Williams, who is in his first year as coach of the team, knew his team would be at a disadvantage with three starters out because of disciplinary actions and another because of a band trip to Florida. Even with a new lineup, the Demons came out strong and kept Lawton High off the board while looking for scoring chances of their own.
One such opportunity appeared midway through the first half when Duncan countered and got the ball down the field. Adamson got near the goal unmarked and headed in a goal to lift Duncan to a 1-0 lead.
“We worked on those plays and it paid off,” Williams said. “But in the second half, we didn’t try those plays again and we had opportunities. It goes back to fatigue.”
One of the question marks leading into the season was at goaltender where Saul Garcia turned in an outstanding effort against the aggressive Lawton High attack. Garcia kept Duncan in the game but as the game wore on, the Wolverines size and speed began to have an impact as the dam broke for the Demons as the visitors took control of the contest.
“We had some people step up that I was surprised with and some went through the motions,” Williams said. “Garcia did very well. He’s pretty much got the No. 1 spot right now, he has been building up for it.”
Jared Bracken was also cited for an outstanding effort by Williams.
As Lawton High wore down Duncan, offensive opportunities disappeared as the Demons were unable to make a play on the offensive side to get into the game.
“The effort was there,” Williams said. “We need to work on keeping the ball. We had some sloppy passes and we had trouble with the first touch. Whenever they pass you the ball, we need to keep the ball close to you and not let it go all over the place.
“I guess it could be a moral victory. Last year they lost 7-0 to Lawton. We are going to try to go off of this and keep away from sloppy mistakes and bad passes.”
— Michael Pineda is the sports editor for The Duncan Banner. He can be reached at 580-255-5354, Ext. 143, or via e-mail at m.pineda@duncanbanner.com.
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