Tough luck was the theme of the evening for Tamaqua’s feisty, ever-emerging soccer team.

The Blue Raiders fell 1-0 on Monday to a North Schuylkill squad that dominated possession throughout the contest.

The Spartans’ game plan was no secret. Coach Jarrid Todd put it bluntly afterward: “We just want to control the game by possessions.”

In other words, keep the ball out of Tamaqua’s end and limit the Raiders’ chances.

Wesley Urban delivered the key assist, finding teammate Evan Damiter near the net. Damiter lofted a high shot over the reach of goalkeeper Jakin Tamagini for the game’s only goal, which came 7:27 into the opening half.

“We beat a pretty good Tamaqua team, which is well-coached,” Todd said.

North Schuylkill controlled the tempo throughout, limiting the Raiders to nine shots on goal and three corner kicks. Tamagini came up with nine saves to keep his side close. The Spartans finished with 11 shots and five corners.

“That was kind of freakish,” Tamaqua coach Jimmy McCabe said of the lone tally. “The last three of our games have been one-point decisions. We have to get more offensively and more opportunities. When we get the opportunities (to score), it’s either over the top or an easy block for the goalie.”

The early strike helped the Spartans even their Schuylkill League Division 1 mark at 3-3. Blue Mountain sits atop the standings, with Pine Grove and Lourdes in second and third. Tamaqua fell to 1-5 in league play.

The Raiders nearly equalized late, missing on a pair of chances — including one off a corner kick that went just wide of the right post.

“We had a great chance to possibly tie it,” McCabe said of that final look. “Those are things we need to work on. The chances are there for us — again, we just aren’t executing.”

Todd credited his team’s ability to keep possession and dictate play.

“I loved our execution there,” he said of the Damiter goal. “We pride ourselves on possessing the ball. If they don’t have it, we have more opportunities. We managed to ride that momentum for the remainder of the game. Our defense and the fact that we had time of possession played into our style. Going up 1-0 is really hard to finish, but we did.”

TOUGH SLEDDING … Tamaqua never found the tempo it wanted, while the Spartans played clean and avoided costly mistakes.

WHERE TO NEXT … Tamaqua hosts Lourdes tomorrow with a chance to even the score after a 5-1 loss in their first meeting. North Schuylkill welcomes Pottsville that same day.

DEDICATION … Karen Wood has served as Tamaqua boys’ soccer scorekeeper for the past 29 years. Hard to find loyalty these days, but Karen fits it to the “T”!

DRY AS THE SAHARA … With little rain, grass fields are taking a heavy toll. One observer quipped: “It’s like playing on Rice Chex — crunch, crunch, crunch.”

North Schuylkill 1, Tamaqua 0

North Schuylkill 1 0 - 1

Tamaqua 0 0 - 0

Goals: North Schuylkill - Damiter; Assists: North Schuylkill - Urban; Saves: North Schuylkill - Davis 4; Tamaqua - Tamagini 9.

Records: North Schuylkill (3-5); Tamaqua (1-7)