Bulldogs edged out in games against Green Forest, Danville

Photo by Mike Eckels Decatur's Antonio Rosales (#14) maneuvers the ball away from a Danville player in an attempt to set up a Bulldog score.
Photo by Mike Eckels Decatur's Antonio Rosales (#14) maneuvers the ball away from a Danville player in an attempt to set up a Bulldog score.

DECATUR -- It was a tough week for the Decatur Bulldog soccer teams, losing to Green Forest and Danville at Bulldog Stadium.

The Bulldogs first took on the Green Forest Tigers April 1. From the beginning, the Bulldogs were on the defensive with the Tigers scoring two goals in the first 10 minutes of the first half. The Bulldogs tried several times to get the ball into the goal only to have the wind blow it either to the outside or over the net. The first half ended with a 2 to 0 Green Forest lead.

In the second half, strong winds continued to plague both teams as they tried to get the ball into the net. Neither team could overcome the obstacle and the game ended with the Tigers taking home the victory, 2 to 0.

Decatur's next opponent was the Danville Little Johns at Bulldog Stadium April 3. Danville jumped out to a 2 to 0 lead in the first period. In the second half, the Bulldogs took the field with one thing in mind, to win. For 40 minutes, the aggressive style of the Bulldogs wore down the Little Johns, forcing them on the defensive this time. Time after time Decatur took shots at the goal only to have the ball stopped. In the end, Danville won 2 to 0.

In spite of the loss to Danville, Coach Barry James was very pleased with his team.

"The way you played out there today, you should have won, you should have won," James told his players.

James was quick to praise Antonio Rosales, whose aggression and perseverance moved the ball down field, setting up several scoring opportunities.

"Tony is the man of the game," James said. "He never gave up and continued to play aggressively the entire period.

Sports on 04/09/2014