The Jefferson City Jays have had a couple of measuring-stick games to start the soccer season.
But they'd had enough of that. Thursday night, they wanted a victory.
"To start 0-3 is not a comfortable spot to be in, no matter who you've played," Jays coach Eddie Horn said Thursday night after Jefferson City blanked Rolla 2-0 at the 179 Soccer Park. "We definitely needed a win."
The Jays dominated the action from the start, maintaining control of the ball. But getting a goal was hard to come by.
"The final third has been tough for us this season," Horn said. "And that carried over into this game."
The Jays got on the board with less than two minutes to go in the opening half. Jordan Carron got the goal, using his left foot to knock a shot off the far post into the net. Colton Acock got the assist.
The goal provided a bit of a boost for the Jays, who finished with an 11-0 edge in shots in the first half.
"To get one right before half is always big because it can demoralize a team that gives it up," Horn said.
Erich Sporleder made it 2-0 about 14 minutes into the second half. The senior lined a shot from outside the top of the box that bounced off the hands of the Rolla keeper and into the net.
"It was a bit of a knuckleball, Erich hit it well," Horn said. "It was good for Erich, we need him to score farther out from the goal and for him to get one may get him going."
The 2-0 lead made things more comfortable for the Jays.
"I didn't know if one would be enough, it was nice to get that second one," Horn said. "It gave us a little breathing room if we happened to make a mistake."
Jefferson City held Rolla without a shot until late in the contest. The Jays finished with an edge of 18-1 in total shots, 10-1 in those on net.
Zach Brooks and Tyler Hager both saw action in goal in the shutout, the first of the season for the Jays.
Jefferson City (1-3-1) will host Quincy, Ill., next Wednesday.
In Thursday night's JV game, the Jays blanked the Bulldogs 4-0. Ayden Propst, Tyler Jett, Chad Hamler and Max Allen scored in the win. Assists went to Hamler, Isaac Johnson and Allen. Nick Ryan and Kord Pearson shared time in goal in the shutout for the Jays (3-1).