Alex Putt and Ryder Wallace were the keynote players for Jim Thorpe's soccer team Thursday evening, mainly because they did all the scoring in a 2-0 whitewashing over host Tamaqua.

But there were other variables to the decision. The Olympians were more aggressive, had a higher intensity level for a longer time and made good on their opportunities in this Schuylkill League boys soccer contest."We are a team that has very little experience, but our potential has a high ceiling," said Thorpe coach Mike Dudak. "When you lose as many seniors as we did from last season, 16 in all, that's tough to replace."Ditto on the Tamaqua side. However the Blue Raiders are digging deeper into the underclassmen. Greg Scheeler was a tad frustrated, however, after his team failed to come up with a strike."It's time that we (grow) up," Scheeler said after his team was flagged for a pair of red cards and will now lose a pair of starters in their next game. "We started the season playing freshmen and sophomores. They've got a really good defense. They're talented, and they've got size, and their coached well. They did what they needed to do to shut us down."Scheeler felt his team did have opportunities, but maybe not enough. Tamaqua managed just five total shots, while the Olympians doubled that number.Putt sent the Olympians in front at the 29:14 mark of the opening half with Chris Williams assisting on the play."We lost our first four games, and these boys were hungry to win something," said Dudak. "Our record doesn't indicate the way we're playing. It was about putting the ball in the back of the net tonight, and we did that."Wallace punched home the second goal at 23:57 of the second period on a free kick from the left side. Meanwhile, the Raiders managed just two shots on goal in the second period."We had some opportunities, but we didn't capitalize on the few opportunities that we did have," said Scheeler. "The game was very physical. We did what I thought was our best. We've just got to put the ball in the net. We've got to play harder. We've got to play smarter."Jim Thorpe did miss out on a few golden opportunities to add to the scoring. A straight shot from 20 yards out halfway through the final period clanged off the crossbar. And a penalty kick had the look of a potential score, too."These guys deserved (the win)," said Dudak as his team picked up their first win in three tries in Division I play, while Tamaqua fell to 0-2 in the league. "They've worked hard."SAVING GRACE … Goal keeper Kingsley Ehling had three saves for Thorpe, while Mason Dolinsky turned away four shots.ONE MORE SHOT … Jim Thorpe had one more corner shot than the Raiders.