Springfield, Mo. (For OzarksSportsZone.com)  -- Glendale started off strong at home against the Rolla Bulldogs.  The Falcons fired two balls into the net by the end of the first half, but from the first minute of the second half, they were on their heels trying desperately to fend off one vicious Bulldog attack after another.  Glendale won this heated Ozark Conference game 2-1, but not without having to give their all to stay in the game.

“You gotta play for the full 80 minutes.  You know, they got that first goal and then they were on it,” said Glendale’s coach, Jeff Rogers. “The worst score you can have in Soccer is 2-0.  When the other team gets a goal, they have all the momentum and that’s what we saw tonight.”

Still, Rogers was satisfied with the win. Glendale (9-6) has come a long way since the beginning of the season which was spotty at best for them.  Rogers is looking for the team to improve with every game, and he thinks that a victory over Rolla is a good sign that they are.

Team Captain, Nic Bauer, who pounded a well-placed ball into the back of the net to score in the 25^th minute, explained that the team was lacking experience at the beginning of the season, but that they have matured greatly.

Bauer said, “You know Evan Garrad always knows where to find me… we’ve been starting since we were sophomores, but there are only five of us who have any varsity experience.  At first the team was just a bunch of individuals, now we’re playing like we’re all varsity players.”

Despite the two-goal deficit, Rolla never played like a team that was down; they played like a team on the attack.  They really showed up the second half with Sven Olberg scoring a goal assisted from the midfield by Aaron Froehlich who, himself, had been threatening the goal from the 40^th minute on.

Michael Janke, a captain for Rolla, said that his coach had really laid into them during half-time and that their first half had been one of their worst all season.  They wanted to come back and get the win, but all they could manage was to win the second half.

The Falcons have a tough game ahead of them; they play the Nixa Eagles at 4:30 at Glendale on October 15. Rolla will go on to play St. Francis Borgia at Rolla at 5 p.m. on October 10. 

Glendale 2, Rolla 1

Goals:
First Half
Glendale—Nic Bauer (assisted by Evan Gerrad)
Glendale—Tony Palmisano (assisted by Derek Roberts)
Second Half
Rolla—Sven Olberg (assisted by Aaron Froehlich)