Central Crossing Starts Strong With Road Shutout

Westerville — Fall sports returned to the pitch Friday evening as the 2025 regular season officially kicked off. Central Crossing opened its campaign on the road against Westerville South, aiming to improve on last year’s 3-14-1 record.

Westerville South controlled much of the first half, pressing forward and keeping the Comets’ defense and goalkeeper under consistent pressure. Central Crossing held strong, clearing the ball after close calls in the 6th and 26th minutes while also defending several Wildcat corner kicks.

The Comets generated prime momentum late in the half, earning a corner kick that created two strong scoring chances. The first was denied by Westerville South goalkeeper Jack Nickoli, and the second was blocked by junior forward Anas Elkhalfy. The sequence kept the match scoreless at halftime, giving Central Crossing confidence heading into the break.

“It didn’t seem like they had anyone particularly dangerous that put us on edge,” Comets head coach Jeff Cowles said postgame. “It was enough to give us some trouble, but I was confident we could outlast them.”

Westerville South came out fast to start the second half, applying pressure on the Comets’ attack. But as the match wore on, Central Crossing began to flip the momentum, pushing the pace and breaking through despite several strong saves from Nickoli.

In the 68th minute, Daniel Gorobchuk drew a penalty during a counterattack and buried the kick to give the Comets a 1-0 lead. The play developed thanks to senior twins Wendell and Wencell Medina, who created the buildup that led to the foul.

“Those twins have energy for days. Once a team wears down, they are so good off the dribble, which set up that PK for Daniel,” Cowles said.

Just minutes later, Matthew Mancias added insurance for the Comets, slotting a shot into the left corner to extend the lead to 2-0 with 8:25 remaining.

The Wildcats pressed late, but senior goalkeeper Ramon Reyna came up with key saves in the final five minutes to preserve the shutout and seal a 2-0 season-opening win. The victory was Central Crossing’s first in a season opener since 2022.

Looking ahead, the Comets face back-to-back road tests this week against Hilliard Bradley and Hilliard Darby before returning home to host Olentangy. Head coach Jeff Cowles sees an opportunity for a strong start, noting the similarities between those opponents and Westerville South.

“Those two are really well coached and have some skill. I think we match up well though,” Cowles said. “I think we have a really good chance to be 3-0 going into the Olentangy game if we execute how we need to.”

Central Crossing (1-0) opens the stretch at Hilliard Bradley on Tuesday.