NTL BOYS' SOCCER: OWN GOAL HAUNTS NEB IN 1-0 LOSS TO WELLSBORO (2025-09-17)
Northern Tier Sports ReportROME — Northeast Bradford did a lot right when they host Wellsboro Wednesday. Their offsides trap kept the Hornet offense unbalanced, while their attack generated more scoring opportunities. However, it wasn’t quite enough as an own goal by the Panthers was the difference in their 1-0 loss during NTL boys’ soccer action.
“We were close,” said NEB coach Scott Merritt. “We were not great for 20 minutes. We were great in some areas, but no every area; all 11 weren’t playing well at the first 20 minute mark, and that probably cost us a lot, but we had opportunities. They had some good shots so I can’t complain about those opportunities.”
The lone came with 6:46 left in the first half off the head of an NEB player.
“A long kick that bounce off our own head in the wrong direction,” Merritt remarked.
It’s the second loss in a row that has been decided by an own goal for the Panthers.
“Our goalie has been told to call ‘keep’ and knock his grandmother over from here on out and catch the ball,” Merritt said. “That’s what happened to us at North Penn-Liberty, one of those goals is off of our own head.”
NEB’s best chance for the equalizer came with 5:20 left in the game when an Anthony Pousen blast from just outside the 18 was tipped away at the last second by Wellsboro keeper Cam Tom.
The touch was good enough that it didn’t go out of bounds for a corner kick, instead he kept it in, allowing his defense to clear it.
“It was the save of the game,” Merritt said. “That show was unbelievable by Anthony, it was perfection. It should have went in, could have went in, and the reason it didn’t was all that goalie. He did great, and that’s a huge momentum change - that would have been a very interesting difference.”
Tom finished with 10 saves while NEB keeper Gavin Puza had six saves.
NEB out shot Wellsboro 11-6 and had a 6-0 edge in corner kicks.
“Just down at that end we gave it a go, we just couldn’t quite pull it off,” said Merritt. “(Wellsboro) did everything they needed to do to finish 1-0, and we were close to doing everything we needed to do to finish 1-1 and push it into overtime, and it just didn’t work out for us today. Outside of that I really can’t complain much. The boys tried, they played pretty well, and the back line did a good job.”
NEB got Wellsboro for nine offsides penalties on the day, and held them to just two shots in the second half.
“And we didn’t do it at the 50, which makes me happy and frustrates Todd (Fitch),” said Merritt. “Most of our offsides traps were 25 feet off the 50, and 20 feet ahead of the 18, and that’s what I kind of wanted to do because he knows what we can do. He knows it gives him fits, and I wanted to screw it up this year a little bit more, and we did what I think we needed to do there.”
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PHOTOS BY CHRIS MANNING— —
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