LISBON

Trying to hold a 1-0 lead for over 75 minutes can be a daunting task for a soccer team, especially when facing a talented offensive squad that has seen a big turnaround this season

Lisbon jumped ahead of Mountain Valley on Wednesday just 4:02 into the game — Noah Austin finishing off a give-and-go with teammate Cam Poisson to get the Greyhounds off to a good start in a key Mountain Valley Conference boys high school soccer contest.

The tough part followed, as the Lisbon defense faced run after run from the Falcons. But, the Greyhounds held their ground, coming out on top, 1-0, and giving Lisbon a 6-3-1 mark with four games remaining.

“We have a couple guys playing through some injuries, so we are a bit slower than we typically are,” said Lisbon coach Dan Sylvester, whose Greyhounds host Oak Hill on Friday at 3:30 p.m. “We got one and held back, just making sure to not give them some good looks.”

Lisbon goaltender Jonah Sautter was not overly busy, asked to make just five saves as his defense of senior Nick Austin, senior Dylan George, sophomore Jacob George and senior Kayne Wentzhiemer stood tall, keeping the Falcons from generating Grade A scoring opportunities.

“We didn’t let them get by a whole lot, and if they did we were able to get the ball out,” said Jacob George. “This is a big win for us. We are happy that we won. Defense is a big deal to us.”

The goal

With the dust flying on the dry field, both teams had trouble keeping the ball on the ground.

Suddenly, Lisbon had a break, with Noah Austin chipping a pass to Poisson, who returned the favor to his teammate. Noah Austin took one stride before sending a low shot into the left corner of the net past the dive of Mountain Valley (6-2- 3) goaltender Jacob Rainey for a 1-0 lead with 35:58 still left on the first-half clock.

There were few good scoring chances from there, though Lisbon had a point- blank try by Jacob George after DJ Douglass served a dangerous corner kick in front of Rainey’s cage.

At the other end, Mountain Valley’s best chances went wide of the target. Jorge Gutierrez found a bit of space, but his shot sailed high, and moments later Vinny Deroche saw his try dribble wide left.

“A team like Mountain Valley, you can’t take lightly. They have some good weapons. We have scouted them, played them in the preseason, they tied Monmouth. We tried to take away their better pieces and capitalize when we could,” Sylvester said.

The second half produced even fewer solid scoring chances. Sautter had three routine stops in the second frame, while Lisbon managed just one off-target shot on the Mountain Valley goal.

Jacob George did a solid job in taking away dangerous Falcon striker Garrett Garbarini.

“Jacob is consistent. He likes to have a perfect game every game and gets frustrated with himself. I like what he is doing back there, and I tell him it is OK to make mistakes,” Sylvester said.

As the time ticked down, Mountain Valley had one final push, with Sautter stopping an Espen Lamberg shot with Chance Vacchiano a step late.

“I think Jonah is one of the best keepers in the conference. He is our sparkplug back there,” Sylvester added.

Mountain Valley finished with an 11-7 shot advantage, with Rainey making four saves. Lisbon held a 3-1 edge in corner kicks.

Lisbon 1, Mountain Valley 0

At Lisbon

Mnt.		Valley	— 0	0	–	0
Lisbon		—	1	0	–	1

Goal — (L) Noah Austin. Assist — (L) Cam Poisson. Shots — Mountain Valley 11, Lisbon 7. Saves — (MtnV) Jacob Hainey 4, (L) Jonah Sautter 5. Corner kicks — Lisbon 3, Mountain Valley 1. Records — Lisbon 6-3-1, Mountain Valley 6-2-3. Up next for the Greyhounds — Friday at home vs. Oak Hill, 3:30 p.m.