BY JEFF FALK

MYERSTOWN – When these two sides get together, you can throw out the record books.

Forget wanting to beat each other, the Cedar Crest and Elco boys’ soccer teams just needed a win.

On a rainy Saturday night at Elco Stadium, it was the Falcons who came away with something to build upon, thanks to a 2-0 triumph over the hometown Raiders. Cedar Crest tallied goals early in each half and used a smothering defense and a little bit of help from the weather to bottle up the Elco offense.

The victory was the first of the season for Cedar Crest, which improved to 1-3 overall. It was also the Falcons’ second straight in the historic Ritter-Hoffman Cup series, one they now lead 16-15-1.

Elco, which has scored only once to date, remained winless at 0-5.

“No matter what kind of year either team is having, this game matters,” said Cedar Crest head coach Travis Bensing. “It’s great competition. It brings the County together. It’s good for the sport.

“Obviously we haven’t gotten out to the fast start we were looking for,” continued Bensing. “But we want to build off this momentum. Every story begins with a happy ending. This is going to be our turning point.”

“I don’t think so, because the guys were going at each other tonight,” said Elco head coach Kirk Keppley. “Even though it’s not like the olden days, we’re still neigbors. There’s still bragging rights. Neither team wanted to back down and it showed on the field. Nobody wanted to lose. The rivalry is still there.

“We’re going into a new section (Three of the Lancaster-Lebanon League) and we’ve got more tough games coming,” Keppley continued. “All of the teams we’ve played have been good teams. But we definitely need a win to boost our confidence and get things going. At some point it becomes really frustrating, and it can wear on you.”

The Falcons’ precise execution of a free kick 8:42 into the match produced a 1-0 lead. The goal came off the foot of Trey McCumber, and his second goal of the campaign would prove to be the game-winner.

“We practice our free kicks,” said Bensing. “Trey McCumber got a look, saw he had an opening and put it into the top of the net.

“Our goal today was to come out with intensity,” added Bensing. “Through our last few games we’ve been sluggish. We had a little more focus. I thought we did well finding space and moving off the ball.”

“Our goalkeeper (Hunter Keppley) was setting up the wall, he was at the near post and they (the Falcons) shot it far post,” said Keppley. “It was a mental error. I think he thought his teammates were asking for ten yards (at which to set up the wall). They (the Falcons) didn’t need a whistle and they went after it. It wasn’t that he wasn’t ready.

“We seemed to struggle to get things going,” Keppley added. “We seem to get better as the game goes on, but you can’t expect to come back. We’re looking for a break. We’re just not getting that one lucky break to get us going.”

With the Raiders struggling to piece together offense, Cedar Crest struck again, 11 minutes into the second half.

A ball was played deep into the Elco box and hustling Falcon Ryan Bernard ran on to. With a burst of speed, Bernard beat Keppley to the loose ball and blasted it into the open net.

“That was one of the keys to the game,” said Bensing. “We got the ball out wide, sent it to the middle and finished the job.

“This is the game we got the result,” Bensing continued. “If you look at the schedule, this could be the game that turns the season around.”

“They got the ball going forward,” said Keppley of the Falcons. “They came at it hard and got the goal.

“It’s early in the year and the field is a little beat up,” continued Keppley. “When you’re trying to battle back, you’ve got to worry about the conditions. It makes it harder to come back.”

Certainly two cards – a red and then a yellow – during the final 25 minutes didn’t aid the Raider cause. While they were the result of frustration, in many ways they proved to be Elco’s last gasp.

In the final tally, Cedar Crest out shot Elco 10-2 and enjoyed an 8-0 advantage in corner kicks. It was Falcon goalie Justin Hilty who recorded the shutout.

“I think just the intensity of the game plays into it,” said Bensing of the cards. “The slick field might have had something to do with it, and maybe a little tired legs.

“They (the Raiders) played hard,” Bensing added. “They’re working hard. They play to space as well. Any time you play them you know you’re going to be in a ball game.”

“I think we need to look at our formation a little bit,” said Keppley, “and see if we can push another guy up to get us going offensively.

“They’re (the Falcons) a hard-working team. They move the ball,” continued Keppley. “It’ll be interesting to see how they fare in Section One (of the L-L). I know it’s not easy. It’s going to be close games and tight games. But I think they should be OK.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To purchase images in this article email jkfalk2005@yahoo.com, or to view more go to https://lebanonsportsbuzz.com/photo-gallery/.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2018 Cedar Crest Boys’ Soccer Schedule

Date	Opponents	Results
9/01 10:00 am	Governor Mifflin at Cedar Crest	2 1
9/04 4:00 pm	Manheim Central at Cedar Crest	2 1
9/06 7:00 pm	Elizabethtown at Cedar Crest	1 0
9/08 7:00 pm	Cedar Crest at Elco
9/10 4:00 pm	Cedar Crest at Hempfield
9/13 7:00 pm	Penn Manor at Cedar Crest
9/15 10:00 am	Cedar Crest at Cedar Cliff
9/18 7:00 pm	Conestoga Valley at Cedar Crest
9/21 4:00 pm	Cedar Crest at Manheim Township
9/24 4:00 pm	Cedar Crest at Warwick
9/27 7:00 pm	Hempfield at Cedar Crest
10/02 7:00 pm	Cedar Crest at Penn Manor
10/05 4:00 pm	Cedar Crest at Conestoga Valley
10/06 6:15 pm	Cedar Crest at Exeter
10/08 7:00 pm	Manheim Township at Cedar Crest
10/10 7:00 pm	Warwick at Cedar Crest

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2018 Elco Boys’ Soccer Schedule

Date	Opponents	Results
8/31 10:00 am	Elco at Pequea Valley	1 2
9/01 10:00 am	Eastern York at Elco	1 0
9/04 7:00 pm	Ephrata at Elco	2 0
9/06 7:00 pm	Muhlenberg at Elco	1 0
9/08 7:00 pm	Cedar Crest at Elco
9/11 7:00 pm	Cocalico at Elco
9/12 4:00 pm	Elco at Annville-Cleona
9/14 4:00 pm	Donegal at Elco
9/17 7:00 pm	Octorara at Elco
9/20 4:00 pm	Elco at Solanco
9/21 4:00 pm	Tulpehocken at Elco
9/25 4:00 pm	Elco at Lancaster Mennonite
9/26 4:00 pm	Lebanon at Elco
9/28 4:00 pm	Elco at Cocalico
10/01 4:00 pm	Elco at Donegal
10/03 7:00 pm	Elco at Octorara
10/05 4:00 pm	Solanco at Elco
10/09 7:00 pm	Lancaster Mennonite at Elco

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ritter-Hoffman Cup History

2018 – Cedar Crest

2017 – Cedar Crest

2016 – Elco

2015 – Elco

2014 – Tie

2013 – Cedar Crest

2012 – Cedar Crest

2011 – Cedar Crest

2010 – Elco

2009 – Elco

2008 – Elco

2007 – Elco

2006 – Cedar Crest

2005 – Cedar Crest

2004 – Elco

2003 – Cedar Crest

2002 – Elco

2001 – Cedar Crest

2000 – Elco

1999 – Elco

1998 – Cedar Crest

1997 – Cedar Crest

1996 – Cedar Crest

1995 – Cedar Crest

1994 – Cedar Crest

1993 – Elco

1992 – Elco

1991 – Elco

1990 – Elco

1989 – Elco

1988 – Cedar Crest

1987 – Cedar Crest