Boys soccer: Wadsworth falls behind, loses to Twinsburg in called game

TWINSBURG — Mother Nature had her way with the Wadsworth boys soccer team as the Grizzlies opened Suburban League National Conference play against rival Twinsburg on Tuesday night. With temperatures in the mid-90s at the 7 p.m. start, officials stopped the game midway through each half to give both teams a water break. Then at 8:15 p.m. with 20:05 left to play in the second half, moments after the officials had called for the water break, the game was delayed due to lightning being spotted in the area. At 8:33, the Tigers were declared 1-0 winners after an 18-minute delay and both coaches agreed they would not be able to complete the game. "I don't think we saw this coming and it's not going to stop," Wadsworth coach John Johnson said of the thunderstorm. "It's a (complete) game. That's how the rules go. It's a game. "(The Tigers) are a good side. They knocked the ball around in the first half and we created our own mistakes." Wadsworth (1-3, 0-1) entered this year's matchup of 2023 district finalists on a two-game winning streak, having won 2-1 the past two years. Twinsburg (2-1, 1-0) previously won 2-1 in 2021. Twinsburg picked up the only goal of the game with 3:01 left in the first half. Ryan Humberson fed a pass to Devin Couch, who then fed Daniel Schneeman. The senior captain slipped the ball past Grizzlies keeper Cayden Taylor. Taylor made three saves in the first half, while the back line of senior captains Caden Whited and Carter Smith, along with fellow senior Brayden Kereszturi, junior captain Vincent Gambaccini and freshman Benny Sauser played well enough to keep Wadsworth within striking distance. "In the first half we were disconnected," Johnson said. "We had some gaps that got exploited. We had a gap in the middle of the park that they exploited and scored a goal. "In the second half, we squeezed a little bit tighter together and I think we played way better. We had them on their back heels and spent a lot more time in their back half." After back-to-back games on the road, the Grizzlies return to Art Wright Stadium on Saturday to take on Ashland, which entered Tuesday 0-1-1. In the second time being shut out this season — the Grizzlies fell 1-0 lto Barberton to begin play — junior forward Kyle Nagel generated Wadsworth's only shot on goal when he fired a low drive 33:20 left in the first half that Tigers goalie Cooper Goodman gathered in. The shutout halted back-to-back games of a season-high two goals in a 3-2 loss to Brunswick and 2-0 win over John Marshall. "We need urgency," Johnson said. "We need to get the ball off our foot. We're creating chances, but we need to be a little more clinical around the goal. "I know they want to score, but it seems like we're taking too long to do it." In the second half, Wadsworth had a free kick from the 20-yard line on the right side above the box, but was called for a foul before Diego Montoya's kick could generate anything. Contact John Urchek at jurchek@medina-gazette.com. Twinsburg 1, Wadsworth 0 WADSWORTH 0 0 — 0 TWINSBURG 1 0 — 1 (Game called with 20:05 left due to weather.) First T — Evan Schneeman (Devin Couch), 3:01. Shots on goal — Wadsworth 1, Twinsburg 4. Corner kicks — Wadsworth 3, Twinsburg 3. Saves — Cayden Taylor (W) 3, Cooper Goodman (T) 1. Records — Wadsworth (1-3, 0-1), Twinsburg (2-1, 1-0). Junior varsity — Twinsburg 3, Wadsworth 0.