By VINCE LOVERGINE
TopSports.news
Dating back to last season, Hayden has lost 11 straight matches and they’re 0-10 this year.
Joey Gartner's Hayden soccer team fell to 0-10 on Tuesday, but Gartner said the Wildcats continue to make improvement. [File photo/TSN]
After Hayden topped Tonganoxie last season, 6-1, the Chieftains took a 1-0 win Monday at Hayden.
The last five matches entering Monday's match for the Wildcats, they’d only scored one goal and were shut out in four others. For the whole 2025 campaign, they’ve only scored four total goals.
Despite not winning a match so far, Hayden first-year coach Joey Gartner said the morale of the team is solid.
“We’ve all been keeping our heads up,” Gartner said. “I’ve been telling them that we’re improving every game … by the end of the season we’ll see that improvement and get better every game. The captains have been uplifting, saying, ‘Let’s go, keep pushing,’ and when we’re down 1-0, trying to fight back and get a goal or two to win the game… we all have that mindset to get back into the game, get back into the season, score some goals and get some wins.”
It was a slow moving game in the first half, but Tonganoxie would strike for the match's only goal, as Jameson Breitzman scored inside the box, beating Hayden’s goalkeeper short side with 16:53 left in the half.
The Wildcats had some decent looks at the net but couldn’t muster much offense. Senior Roman Ziegler almost knotted the match at 1-1 for Hayden with 12 minutes to play. Freshman goalkeeper Ivan Franco for the Chieftains made a diving save to his right to keep it at that 1-nil score.
Gartner said during the Wildccats' recent match against Ottawa, he was pleased to see his team take the game's first lead. As the season has progressed, he’s loving the fight the team has despite their record.
“I’m proud of the guys for working hard. Every game they come out and give it their all, leave everything on the field. The results aren’t showing that but they’re giving everything they have,” Gartner said.
Gartner explains how Hayden can improve moving forward.
“Moving the ball quicker, moving it side to side, especially that one goal we had against Ottawa, down the sideline, passing it across. We have to work on crosses, getting up in the box and supporting,” he said. “We’re almost there. Further down the season we’ll get there and get those scoring habits.”
TONGANOXIE 1, HAYDEN 0
Tonganoxie 1 0 -- 1
Hayden 0 0 -- 0
Tonganoxie -- Goal: Jameson Breitzman
