By HUNTER O. LYLE
BRADFORD, PA – Leaning on their senior leadership, the Bradford boy’s soccer team bounced back from a rocky season’s start, earning back-to-back wins with a blowout 6-2 victory over Oil City.
After a down season last year that failed to yield a postseason berth, the Owls opened the 2025 campaign with a less than favorable start, dropping back-to-back games against General McLane and Randolph in a combined 16-2 deficit. However, playing in the third place game in the annual Allegany-Limestone tournament, Bradford came away with a 6-4 win over Chautauqua Lake that saw Landon Lohrman tally his first hat trick of the season.
“Landon’s really, really good and he stands out, obviously,” said Bradford head coach Peter Butler of his four-year player and captain. “We’re pleased to have him.”
Coming into the game against the Oilers, Bradford’s home opener, it seemed as though Lohrman had yet to cool down.
Out of the gates, the Owls maintained a superior aggression as they immediately went on the attack. With their forward and midfield lines containing Oil City into their own backfield, Bradford wasted no time getting to the net, taking their first shot within 30 seconds of the initial whistle. As they continued to harass the Oilers, the Owls stripped passes and outplayed loose balls, using crisp passing to navigate through packs of defenders for close shots at the net. It would only be a matter of time until one finally went in. That shot ultimately came in the tenth minute.
Shortly after Oil City earned their first trip past midfield, Bradford earned a corner kick, with Lohrman being the one to put the ball in play. His kick skinnied up to the right side of the goal, where Joe Bukoswki used his chest to tap the ball into the crease for the first goal of the night. Only building on their current momentum from there, Bradford continued to dominate the pitch, only allowing the Oilers to get their first shot of the game midway through the period.
However, as the first half wore on, the Oilers began to plot ways through the defense, albeit, in staggered approaches. Despite the oppressive midfield, Oil City managed to break free with just under 11 minutes left. A speedy breakaway from Zyire Ashby brought him at point blank range of the net, where he crossed the ball to Jaiden Watson to finish it off, tying the game and shifting the momentum away from the Owls.
Their relief wouldn’t last for long. The Oilers’ newfound life came with a reinvigorated sense of attack and as they closely challenged Bradford’s ballhanders, their physicality would backfire. Roughly two minutes after Oil City’s goal, Lohrman took control of a possession and drove through the middle, being challenged as he made his way downfield. Getting to within 15 yards of the net, Lohrman was swarmed and pushed to the ground as he attempted to get a shot off. Being rewarded with a penalty kick, Lohrman took advantage, scoring his first goal of the night with a low kick to the right side.
“(Oil City) got that breakaway and made it 1-1 and that kind of shook us a little bit. It was really important to respond,” said Butler. “If we let them sit it and get to halftime tied, they might think they had us.”
There was the spark Lohrman and the Owls needed. Four minutes later, Lohrman and his forward counterpart Jamin Bell found themselves on a fast break. Bell fed the hot foot with Lohrman finding the back of the net once again as his shot evaded a diving goalkeeper. In the closing minute, Lohrman completed the hat trick after a high arching pass from the midfield fell just in front of him. Facing a one-on-one race to the ball with the Oilers’ goalkeeper, he punched in another shot to put the Owls up 4-1.
Despite holding a sizable lead, Bradford continued to force the issue, once again finding their first shot early into the second half. The Owls continued to dominate the pitch and pepper the net as Oil City barely managed to hold off the attack. However, after almost 18 minutes of play and roughly 30 minutes since their initial score, it would be the Oilers who would strike first. With just over 22 minutes left in the game, Morris Woodhouse controlled an Owls’ goal kick, then booting it over Aiden Abbott for Oil City’s second goal.
That would open the flood gates, however, and in the final 12 minutes of play, Bradford would retaliate with two more goals, one from Mikah Geist and another from Ewan Bell, putting the final nail in the Oilers’ coffin and bringing their season back to even.
Moving forward, Bradford looks to maintain their success as they head back out onto the road to play Franklin on Thursday. That game is slated for a 6:30 p.m. start.
While they are hot right now, Butler and Co. are still focused on steady progression rather than a complete turnaround from last season’s disappointing finish. Keeping his team’s eyes on the finer details and fundamentals will be key as the Owls begin seeing even more fierce opponents.
“We’re going to be better than last year, but that’s not saying a lot,” said Butler. “But we’ve got to handle some of the tougher teams ahead. If we can handle Franklin, that’ll put us to three win in a row and will really up our confidence. I know it’s going to be tougher going forward.”
