Kokomo Athletics

The Kokomo Wildkats opened their season at home and tied the Maconaquah Braves 1-1. The Braves created several dangerous attacks in the first 10 minutes, but the Wildkats held and gradually controlled the play in the Braves’ defensive half of the field. For the game, the Wildkats held the Braves under ten shots on goal and went into the half with a 1-0 lead. In the 20th minute, senior midfielder Adrian Reyes crossed the ball into the box where junior forward Nathan Lay calmly fired the ball into the lower left corner of the goal. The Wildkats held a slight edge in possession in the first half, but failed to create many dangerous shots and the 1-0 halftime lead did not last. At the start of the second half, the Braves rallied, earning multiple free kicks in the Kats’ defensive half of the field. The Kats held until Maconaquah broke through the right side of the Wildkat defense and slotted home what would become the game tying goal. The Wildkats had a bit more of the ball and were the more dangerous team with less than 20 minutes left. Junior forward Braedyn Booker beat his mark on the right side of the Braves’ defense but could not get a clear shot off. Junior Enzo Beber Zamberlan took a nice shot from the right side of the penalty area that the Braves’ keeper parried over the bar. Beber Zamerlan is your man of the match. The Wildkats (0-0-1, 0-0-0) will have to learn, grow, and rebound quickly as they travel to county rival Northwestern Thursday and host Muncie Central to open conference play Saturday.