MOUNT STERLING — North Laurel came up just short on the road Tuesday, falling 2-1 to Montgomery County.
The loss drops the Jaguars to 9-6-2 overall as postseason play draws closer.
Montgomery County struck early, converting a penalty kick after a foul call in the box and later capitalizing on a corner kick that North Laurel couldn’t clear to build a 2-0 halftime lead.
North Laurel battled back after the break, with Reilly Stuber finding the net midway through the second half to cut the deficit to 2-1. The Jaguars continued to apply pressure and created several scoring opportunities down the stretch but were unable to find the equalizer.
“I didn’t feel like we came out with great intensity to start the game and then an early injury forced us to change things up a bit,” Jaguars coach David Broyles said. “We went down 1-0 on what I would deem a questionable foul in the box that gave them a PK. We gave up a second goal in the first half on a corner that we failed to clear. I felt we outplayed them from the 10 minute mark in the first half and especially the second half. We had numerous opportunities in the second half but just couldn’t seem to find the back of the net.
“We did get on the board midway through the second when Reilly Stuber collected a loose ball and put it past the keeper,” Broyles added. “We continued to press and get good opportunities, but just ran out of time. I’m proud of the boys for battling back against a good Montgomery County team.”
