Edison hands Norwalk first league loss

MILAN — Quality, not quantity, was the story of the day for Edison and Gabriel Serna Amaya. The freshman barely got a touch for an hour as Norwalk dominated possession. But then, he delivered the two biggest plays of the match. First, the freshman drew a penalty that Alex Davidson converted for the opening goal. Then, Serna Amaya delivered a laser into the right corner himself. Those two goals held up as the Chargers (6-3, 3-2 SBC) handed Norwalk (5-3, 4-1) its first league defeat, 2-1. "They're (Gabriel's) big moments," Edison coach James Duffy said. "He's very good at finishing, and he has a very good soccer IQ… When he gets in behind you, look out." After securing a scoreless first half without a notable chance for either side, Edison had given itself an opportunity. The Chargers absorbed pressure from Norwalk's powerful attack, which had won its four previous league games by a combined 40-1 margin. "It's just one of those games where we couldn't create any opportunities," Norwalk coach Wes Sellers said. "Credit to them, they played good defense and kept us out of the scoring area until the end there. We just couldn't connect and finish." Edison wasn't going to win a shootout, but with pace up top, it had the potential to strike on the counter. Serna Amaya's first breakthrough came with 25 minutes to play. A clearance ricocheted behind the Norwalk defenders, and Serna Amaya gave chase. The foot race was close, but the freshman won the ball and held off his defender as he approached the box. "We knew we weren't gonna have that many chances like that," Serna Amaya said, "so we knew we had to use them." Serna Amaya took contact and went down, and a penalty and yellow card were given. "That first goal, we got out of position and then a tough call for the PK," Sellers said. Davidson stepped up and calmly deposited the spot kick for a 1-0 edge. "We just went for pure speed," Duffy said. "We knew if they kept pressing up, it was gonna create space behind their line and we'd be able to break that line." About 12 minutes later, Serna Amaya got to stretch his legs even more. This time, he picked the ball up near midfield and took off dribbling. His speed meant the hustling defender couldn't get too close or risk getting beat. Serna Amaya kept his surge going until just inside the box, when he had multiple defenders awaiting him. He decided to shoot, and it was 2-0. "I kicked it, and I really thought it wasn't gonna go in," Serna Amaya said. "But I found space." The final 10 minutes had nearly everything — a second yellow for Davidson, resulting in his sending off. A straight red to Norwalk's Drew Thomas for dissent. A penalty drawn by Erik Rangle-Negrete that he finished to pull the Truckers within 2-1. What it didn't have was an equalizer, and so an Edison team that possessed the ball about a quarter of the time that Norwalk did had managed the victory anyway. "We've got a quick turnaround Saturday against Wauseon and then another big league game Monday against Huron," Sellers said. "I knew this stretch was gonna be tough, and I've been telling the kids that. Hopefully now that we've played a little bit better competition and a more physical game, it'll help us going forward and we can right the ship here shortly." Serna Amaya, whose talented sophomore brother Jose had already broken on the scene for Edison last fall, earned BCSN Erie's player of the game interview following the match. His teammates didn't go far as the freshman spoke on camera. As soon as he was done, Serna Amaya was rewarded with a dousing from a bunch of water bottles. How'd it feel? "It feels really cold," Serna Amaya said, "but it feels good."