Strong first half carries Comets to victory

that hit the post. It bounded back into play and eventually the ball came to Matakovich, who controlled it and scored less than seven minutes into the game.

Another favorable bounce went the Comets’ way with Mason Hamm being the benefactor. Carter Hancock’s shot was stopped by Sandusky goalie Denaryon Swain, who was unable to corral the rebound. Hamm proved to be Johnny-onthe-spot to make it a 2-0 lead with 25:20 left in the first half.

Kirsch, who did a fantastic job of orchestrating the offense in the first half, got in on the scoring as he controlled a loose ball and beat Swain to make it 3-0.

Matakovich capped off the first half scoring with his ninth goal of the season with 18:15 left in the first half.

“I feel like we were attacking correctly,” Matakovich said. “All of our passes were perfect. We were moving the ball around, going inside-out. We were playing really good soccer.

“In the second half, we got away from it.”

With a new focus and attitude, the Blue Streaks came out in the second half the aggressor. The constant attack kept Amherst on its heels for a good portion of the second half.

Amherst goalie Ryan Rigsby did his best to maintain the shutout, but Sandusky (9-4-2) finally broke through.

Sophomore Alfonso Gil scored with 23:17 left in the second half and 10 minutes later scored his second goal to make it 4-2.

“It (first half) was a good reality check,” Sandusky coach Kevin Sisak said. “At half we made a few adjustments, especially in the center-mid. They had to be a little more disciplined … I’m proud they were more disciplined in the second half.”

The Comets’ defense stiffened, allowing only one shot the reminder of the game. Amherst tried to get on the board again, but a handful of attempts to seal the game were thwarted by Swain.

With the postseason looming, it is never too late to work on what needs to be improved.

“We need to work on finishing game strong,” Matakovich said. “Finishing (on offense) is our biggest thing we have to put the ball in the back of the net. That’s crucial.”