Xavier Koch found Dylan Sherman for a goal with 23:52 to play until halftime and one goal quickly ballooned into two and Montgomery held a three-goal lead at the half.

The offense didn’t let up and Montgomery secured a 6-1 win against Shamokin at the Montgomery Athletic Community Center field on a rainy Saturday morning to improve to 5-4 and hand Shamokin its eighth loss of the year.

“We put it all together. We had good offense and defense and went after the ball. That’s what we’ve been after,” Montgomery coach Michael Sherman said. “We’ve talked about that all season. Once we can put one in the net, the next couple minutes are crucial. If you can get that second one right away, it gets everything going in the right direction. I was happy with the way they performed.”

Anthony Hall of Shamokin looks for the outlet pass as he plays Montgomery in Montgomery Saturday morning. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

Sherman’s goal with 23:52 to play in the first half put the Red Raiders ahead 1-0. Less than a minute later, Sherman found Dylan Hill for a goal and the Red Raiders quickly took a 2-0 lead against Shamokin. Montgomery would score its third goal ten minutes later with 13:27 to play when Sherman scored off a Hill assist for a 3-0 lead.

Shamokin scored five minutes into the second half to break up the shutout when Colin Steinhart scored from outside of the 18 on a deep shot that he sent high to the left-side of the goal. The well-placed shot cut the deficit down to two.

While the goal looked like it could spark the Indians, Montgomery didn’t allow any momentum to shift away and simply kept playing its game.

“I was really happy with how they maintained composure,” coach Sherman said. “That could have easily flipped it. I was happy to see how they kept it in check and went and got the put-away goals then.”

Montgomery kept firing shots and again broke through ten minutes after Steinhart’s goal to take a three-goal lead again when Hill scored.

Braxton Haupt of Shamokin heads the ball as he plays Montgomery in Montgomery Saturday morning. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

In total, the Red Raiders saw four players put balls in the back of the net in Sherman, Hill, Damaj Stewart Williams and Koch. Stewart Williams had a great header off a corner kick by Camden Dalrymple with 22:32 to play in the game which gave the Red Raiders a 5-1 lead.

Koch would close the game out with a goal with 8:30 remaining for the 6-1 score.

“We haven’t been able to do that since the first game (against Northeast Bradford). We’ve been balancing people around in different positions trying to find the ideal lineup,” coach Sherman noted. “This was the most offense we had since the Northeast Bradford game, so I’m very happy about that.”

While the score reflects a five-goal win, the score didn’t reflect how well Shamokin goalie Rhyan Henz played between the pipes. Henz recorded seven saves, including a handful of diving stops and high blocks as Montgomery peppered him from start to finish.

“That goalie’s amazing. I mean, how he covered some of those shots. He was saving them from the ground, in the air,” coach Sherman said of Henz. “That score does not reflect how well that goalkeeper played, he’s a very talented player start to finish. He never gave up.”

Dylan Hill of Montgomery watches as Kiegan Boughner of Shamokin gets a head on the ball in Montgomery Saturday morning. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

Montgomery held a 13-8 advantage in shots on goal and the Red Raiders were inside of the 18 constantly in the first half especially. In total, the Red Raiders fired 20 shots by game’s end, 13 of which were on frame.

“It’s a law of averages,” coach Sherman said. “We had one sequence where it pinballed, we probably had six shots but just couldn’t get the right angle to drop. So you just keep firing, eventually they’ll go in.”

After Steinhart’s goal with 35:44 to play made it a 3-1 game, Shamokin nearly put in a goal which would have cut the deficit down to one just six minutes later. The Indians’ Anthony Hall got a breakaway and took the ball to 10 yards out and fired a shot to the right near post, but Montgomery keeper Conor Irwin had a solid save to prevent a momentum-shifting goal. That breakaway was Shamokin’s best chance in the final 40 minutes to put in a goal.

With 6:03 to play until halftime, Steinhart was sent a quick pass off an indirect kick and got a shot off fast that he sent low, but again it was Irwin who had a stop to prevent a goal from going in. A minute later, Shamokin had another chance on a direct kick from Steinhart, but couldn’t put it in.

Montgomery 6, Shamokin 1

Dylan Hill of Montgomery takes a shot on goal as Brody Magee of Shamokin tries to defend in Montgomery Saturday morning. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

M–Dylan Sherman (Xavier Koch), 23:52. M–Dylan Hill (Sherman), 22:35. M–Sherman (Hill), 13:27. S–Colin Steinhart, 35:44. M–Hill, 25:20. M–Damaj Stewart Williams (Camden Dalrymple corner kick), 22:32. M–Koch, 8:30.

Shots: S 8, M 13. Corners: S 5, M 15. Saves: S 7 (Rhyan Henz), M 6 (Conor Irwin).

Records: Shamokin (3-8), Montgomery (5-4).

Dylan Sherman of Montgomery scores a goal against Shamokin in Montgomery Saturday morning. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

Dylan Sherman of Montgomery splits the Shamokin defenders and scores a goal in Montgomery Saturday morning. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

Shawn Pysher (23), Camden Dalrymple (12) and Jackson Silver (10) of Montgomery make a wall to defend a shot on goal by Colin Steinhart of Shamokin in Montgomery Saturday morning. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

Conor Irwin of Montgomery makes a save on a shot by Shamokin in Montgomery Saturday morning. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

Dylan Hill of Montgomery and Kiegan Boughner of Shamokin both jump for a loose ball in Montgomery Saturday morning. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

Aiden Twigg (2) of Montgomery tries to make a tackle on Anthony Hall (10) of Shamokin in Montgomery Saturday morning. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

Dylan Hill (14) of Montgomery tries to defend as Colin Steinhart (7) of Shamokin scores a goal in Montgomery Saturday morning. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette