Down a goal at halftime, Patterson Mill coach Wes Rich had one thing to say to his players as they found themselves down on the road to a young, scrappy Manchester Valley team.

“If a kid had a chance, go ahead and take it.” he said. “Attack the space and get the ball on the ground in front of the goal.”

Kai Gibson heard his coach’s plea and stepped up, scoring two goals in the opening moments of the second half. The Huskies held on defensively, stalling the Mavericks’ offense to walk away with the 3-1 victory Monday night.

“They’re a solid program and they’ve got a good team,” Rich said. “This was a great win for us.”

After a slow start in the first half, the Huskies came out aggressive and active from the beginning of the second, keeping the ball moving with precise passes and leading one for good looks close to the goal.

“That’s how we’re going to generate chances this year,” Rich said. “Then, we need guys to be confident and fire away when they get a good look.”

Gibson had no issue taking open shots Monday. After Phil Toliver weaved through three defenders, his beautiful cross set up Gibson for a goal. Mere seconds later, the junior found the back of the net once again as the Huskies took control.

“I’m out here to finish,” Gibson said. “If they play the ball through, I’m just there to outrun the other team and score.”

After Benjamin Phillips scored the lone goal for the Mavericks in the first half, the chances became scarce for a young Manchester Valley team looking to find it’s rhythm and stamina. Passes became erratic and easily picked off by the Huskies. Alex Martinez had a good look in the second half, but sailed it over the crossbar as the Mavericks failed to convert.

“We played half a game today,” Mavericks coach John Woodley said. “We have a very young team and we need to come out and learn what it takes to get going for a full game.”

Patterson Mill’s Phil Tolliver, left, challenges Manchester Valley’s Brody Morrison for the ball. (Doug Kapustin/Freelance)

The early season matchup against an out-of-county opponent allowed both teams to learn a lot about themselves. No matter the result, Rich and Woodley each feel there is a lot to build on after Monday.

“We’ve got three new starters on defense, so there’s going to be mistakes.” Rich said. “We’re not going to let one mistake throw off our whole mentality. I think we’ll get better every game with that back four.”

For Woodley, he noted his young team showed promise in the first half. With a roster that boasts only six seniors and a schedule littered with tough battles left and right, he is confident his team will get better fast.

“There’s a lot to build off,” he said. “We just have to put together two solid halves, we do that and we’ll be OK.”

The Huskies will host Rising Sun on Thursday, while the Mavericks will look to bounce back with a road trip to Oakdale to face the Bears.

Patterson Mill 3, Manchester Valley 1

Goals: PM- Kai Gibson (2), Reza Mousavi (1). MV- Benjamin Phillips (1)

Manchester Valley goalkeeper Ty Pennewell secures the ball just ahead of Patterson Mill’s Grayson McLaughlin. (Doug Kapustin/Freelance)