Kirtland uses late surge to defeat Perry

Kirtland got Marko Cubela, Danny Venorsky and Joey Zovko strikes in a 5 minute, 36-second span of the second half for a 3-1 CVC interdivision win over Perry on Sept. 14.

The Hornets (4-2-1) struggled in the opening 40 and deep into the second half developing any attacking rhythm but found the magic

they needed late.

“I think just the perseverance on the kids’ part to keep battling and pressing,” Kirtland coach John Valentic said of the key to his side’s late surge. “I’ll be honest — still trying to find our way as far as a lineup and positioning. I’ve made dozens of changes trying to find the right fit.

“With two starters out with injury, it’s hard trying to find who’s going to fill those spots. It’s a domino effect — if you move one, something else gets messed up. So I think just perseverance and a little bit of grit, character and luck — you need a little bit of luck, too.”

The Pirates (3-5-1) deservedly led, 1-0, past the hour mark after a leftfooted finish upper-90 just 45 seconds into the second half by Juan Guerra.

But the Hornets fought back to grab an equalizer in the 67th minute. Jeremy Lunka served a free kick into the box, which was deflected to Josip Mijic-Barisic, who played on Cubela. The freshman slotted a strike to tie it at 1.

A little less than two minutes later, Venorsky gave Kirtland the lead for good with a gritty effort from the middle of the box.

Zovko iced the result in the 72nd with his sixth goal of the fall.

“I think once we got the first goal from Marko, that’s what got the momentum going,” Venorsky said. “And then I got my goal, and Joe got his.

“I felt like it was more being in the right place at the right time (on my goal). I saw the goalie was a little bit more to the right, so I tried placing it on the opposite side, and it just went in.”

Coming soon

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