SPENCERVILLE – Monday night’s matchup between NWC rivals Spencerville and Ada featured a little bit of everything as the visiting Bulldogs came away with a 3-2 victory.
Featuring two of the areas top goal scorers the contest saw it’s first goal of the game with 28:22 to go in the opening half as Bearcat sophomore Will Gallespie raced through the Bulldogs defense and fired a shot past Grant Preston to put the home team on top 1-0.
Ada tied up the tallies with 24:07 before the half with a goal on a blast from Carter Conley that would put the score at 1-1.
The game remained tied past the first ten minutes of the second half until Gallaspie added to his own school record with his 24th marker of the season as he kicked a bouncing ball off of the Memorial Field turf into the goal for a 2-1 lead with 30:22 remaining.
Ada’s top goal scorer Jacob Poling notched the first of his two goals in the game and his 22nd of the year when he spun behind a defender and sent a left footed shot past Spencerville keeper Dominic Adkins with 20:09 to tie the contest at 2-2.
While the night was played at a fast and frantic pace it was the physical nature of a collision between Gallaspie and Bulldog goal keeper Grant Preston that provided the biggest chance at deciding how the final score played out.
With 18:48 to go in the second half the two players collided into one another just inside the goal box as Gallaspie was attempting to score and forced Preston to the turf and eventually out of the game where he would spend the rest of the night.
Senior midfielder Ian Dellifield replaced Preston in goal and was immediately under fire from the Bearcat offense. Dellifield stopped a highlight reel shot off the foot of Joel Van Gorder to keep the game tied at 2-2 with 15:36 on a dive to his right of a bouncing ball on the turf.
At 11:21 to go in the game the Bearcats Gallaspie was knocked down inside the box and awarded a penalty shot. Unfortunately for the home squad Gallaspie’s kick was no good as it sailed above the goal and through the football uprights.
Jacob Poling pushed the visiting Bulldogs ahead 3-2 with 10:21 as he rushed a roller through the bottom left of the Bearcat goal to put his squad on top 3-2.
Spencerville was able to move the ball repeatedly deep into Ada’s half of the field in the final ten minutes but were unable to tie the ballgame as they would fall by a goal.
Ada (7-6) will next travel to Riverdale on Thursday evening while the Bearcats (6-3-2) are in Lima the same evening to battle Temple Christian.