Soccer (Boys V/JV) New Palestine High School

Boys soccer rallies to beat New Castle

By Andrew Smith | Sep 5, 2023 9:59 PM

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The New Palestine boys soccer team rallied with two goals in the final three minutes Tuesday to beat New Castle 3-2. In the 78th minute, Paxton Holmes found the back of the net on a shot from inside the box to tie the game. Elliott Canova then scored in the 79th minute as he got loose in the box. His shot hit the post, but then deflected off a New Castle defender and in for the winner. New Castle took a 2-1 lead in the 74th minute on a misplay by the Dragons in their defensive third. The Dragons dominated the contest, starting in the opening minutes. In the sixth minute, Canova played a long ball over the top to Holmes, who beat the keeper on a 1v1 move to give the Dragons an early lead. The Dragons had a number of chances to extend the lead, with Holmes' opportunity from in tight in the 25th minute that was stopped being the best one. New Castle's one attack into its offensive third resulted in a penalty, which it converted in the 27th minute to tie the game. The Dragons continued on the front foot and had multiple shots on goal in the opening minutes of the second half. Canova was stopped on a shot from 25 yards in the 43rd minute, Holmes in the 44th and Andon Colclazier forced a diving stop a minute later. In the 56th minute, Gavin Bannon tried to drop a shot from 18 under the bar but it was parried away for a corner. The Dragons improved to 4-4 on the season and 3-0 in the Hoosier Heritage Conference. They next play Thursday at home against Shelbyville, with a 5:30 p.m. JV kickoff.