[September 16, 2011] H.S. SOCCER: Model knocks off 23rd-ranked Franklin County, 3-0 Tweet RICHMOND, Sep 16, 2011 (Richmond Register - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- In the opening minutes of a showdown with 23rd-ranked Franklin County Thursday in Richmond, Model coach Steve Savage could tell his team was too hesitant and uncertain. And that's something he feared might happen. "That was one of our biggest worries. Were we going to be able to pull it off mentally? And in the first 10 minutes, they were so tentative," Savage said. "Then they all got it together. Then you could see that confidence." It didn't take long for the Patriots to shake off those nervous moments. Model took control mid-way through the first half and basically dominated from that point on. The Patriots (6-1-1) got goals from Hunter Conner, John Reisig and Andrew Wylie as they went on to pick up an very impressive 3-0 win. The victory pushed Model's winning streak to six games. The Patriots have not suffered a loss since a 4-1 setback to Kentucky Country Day almost a month ago (Aug. 20). "We needed this," Savage said. "We needed to play a team that was ranked. A team that was really good and a team that was really physical. It was a nice test for the boys. The weather turned cooler, so I didn't have to substitute a lot and they played really well." The Flyers (10-2-1) carried an eight-game winning steak into Thursday's game. They had just wrapped up a solid run through the round-robin portion of the Berea Cup, defeating Southwestern (5-0), Estill County (11-0) and Montgomery County (3-0). Franklin County is scheduled to met Boyle County in the championship game Saturday afternoon in Berea. The Flyers hadn't given up more than two goals in any game so far this season, but Model simply out-played them for most of the game. The Patriots took a 1-0 lead when Conner headed in a cross from Chris Wylie with 2:14 left in the first half. Conner helped set up Model's next goal, sending a feed in front of the net to Reisig with 25 minutes left. The junior wasn't able to get off a shot at first, but get his foot back on the ball and found the net. With 15:54 left, Andrew Wylie worked through the middle and buried a left-footed shot just inside the post. Model keeper Turner Curtis made a couple of good saves, including a stop on a long free kick in the second half, and earned the shutout. "They didn't really get any hard shots off," Savage said. "That really surprised me. It was a great game for us." Model is set to return to action Saturday at home against Estill County. ___ (c)2011 the Richmond Register (Richmond, Ky.) Visit the Richmond Register (Richmond, Ky.) at richmondregister.com Distributed by MCT Information Services [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]