Hornets Fall to Jefferson City Jays, 1-0

It was an anemic offensive display from the Fulton Hornets as they traveled to Jefferson City to take on the Jays. The score of 1-0 was flattering to the Hornets as the Jays dictated the action throughout the match. The Hornets struggled to maintain possession as pass after pass went awry. The result was a match played mostly in Fulton's defensive end as the Jays created numerous scoring chances.

The one bright spot for the Hornets was the play of the defense as they heroically kept the Jays off the board in the first half. In the opening minutes, defender Nick Heimericks' sliding clearance denied the Jays the early lead when he hooked away a slow roller bound for the net. The rest of the half was fairly dismal for the Hornets as the offense proved unable to surmount the Jays' defense and mount anything but a token challenge on the Jay's goal. Junior Darren Jones' half chance from the edge of the box was the only Fulton shot of the half.

In the second half the constant pressure from the Jays and continued sloppy play from the Hornets proved too much as the Jays struck for the only goal of the match. Jefferson City freshman forward Aaron Crane found himself in acres of space on the right-hand side and he made no mistake on the finish as he approached goal. His right-footed shot struck the inside of the far post and across the goal line to give the Jays a deserved 1-0 lead.

The Hornets responded by making some adjustments in the midfield to generate greater possession, but it was to no avail as the possession in the final third proved to be too elusive. While the effort from the Hornets was laudable, it was ultimately for naught as the class 3A Jays proved the superior team Tuesday night.

Fulton takes a 3-1 record to Ashland on Wednesday evening to take on the SoBoCo Eagles.