TRAVERSE CITY -- It hadn't worked all day, but Rico Rodriguez and Curt Olson gave it another try and it finally paid off.
Deadlocked in a scoreless game with rival Traverse City Central, the TC West standouts executed a short corner play instead of a long kick into the box and worked it to perfection.
Olson and Rodriguez brought the ball in from the corner and Rodriguez walked up the end line before knocking in a shot off the outside of his foot into the far side of the net for the game's only goal and a 1-0 Titans victory.
"I yelled for them to shoot it direct and they took it short," West coach Jason Carmien said. "That's the first time it has led directly to a goal."
The Titans have only been working on the play for the last three weeks, but hadn't used it too much until Thursday's showdown with the Trojans.
In the half dozen or so tries earlier in the game, it hadn't paid off.
"(Central goaltender) Dane (Macdonell) thought I was going to cross the ball," Rodriguez said. "He came out and started to dive and I put it in."
The goal with 10:58 left in the game provided the difference, lifting West to 8-4-1, 5-0-1 in the Big North Conference, and dropping Central to 7-5-1, 3-3.
"It was a nice finish," Central coach Rob Boynton said. "He snuck it in a tight area."
The win was a big one for West, boosting the Titans into sole possession of first place in the Big North.
"We had to keep points with Petoskey," Carmien said. "It puts us in a good position. We just need to finish the season strong."
Petoskey, ranked No. 9 in Division 2, tied Alpena on Tuesday and now has a pair of draws in league play. The Northmen (9-1-3, 3-0-2) and Titans tied earlier this year in West's only conference blemish. West leads in the standings, nine points to eight.
"We played really well," Rodriguez said. "Our team deserved to win and we really needed the points."
West plays Petoskey in TC on Oct. 7 and the Northmen visit the Trojans on Oct. 30 in what could be two of the more critical BNC matchups left in the season.
By coincidence, the Central-West game fell during the Titans' homecoming week, and West fans crowded the Coast Guard field as the drum corps showed up and several students brought plastic buckets to bang on. The boisterous fan section drew the ire of the referees, who had to have the section pushed back from the playing field.
The Titans were mobbed by about 100 fans in front of their bench after the game.
Both teams went with short benches, a move more by necessity for Central, who had three players -- Jordan deTar, Devon Lane and Jordan Frain -- out with injuries and illness that left the Trojans with just 15 healthy players.
"It's that time of year when we're fit and not going to sub a lot," Carmien said. "Central bounced back and played really well like we thought it would. Almost undoubtedly, we'll see them again in districts."
West held Central without a shot on goal in the first half.
"I thought we really struggled in the first half and didn't play well," Boynton said. "I know they scored in the second half, but I thought the second half was the best soccer we've played against them in a long time."
"All four of our defensemen -- John Newland, Michael Budros, Michael Leigh and Ben Mansfield -- did a really nice job," Boynton said.
Mansfield and Leigh both had several saves, and combined with Macdonell's typical play in net, West was only able to score once on 15 shots on goal.
Central hosts Midland on Saturday and West travels to Gaylord on Tuesday. West won the JV game 2-0.
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