Varsity Men's Soccer: Chancellor Chargers vs. Courtland Cougars
By: Greg Wolfe
Earlier in the year, the Chancellor Chargers (9-2-1) struggled to find any offense on a cold night against their visiting rivals the Courtland Cougars in a tight loss. Tonight, with warmer temperatures, the Chargers got revenge as four different players scored in a come-from-behind 5-4 victory.
The game got off to a pretty even start for both teams, as the ball seemed to move consistently back and forth across the field with no true possession of the ball by either team. The Cougars managed to get an early shot on goal, but Charger goalie Josh Reid made and incredible save at the cost of a minor injury. He was taken off the field at first, but was allowed to return almost immediately to hold down the fort.
But 9 minutes into the game, it was the Cougars who struck first in similar fashion to the previous match-up between these two teams. Number 7 took a long shot that snuck through almost twelve bodies to find the very back corner of the Charger net.
Chris Escobar would take the Chargers first shot on goal near the 24 minute mark of the first half, as he made a shot from outside the box that just barely missed as it the top rim of the goal.
Under 21 minutes to play, Eli Carr took a similar shot the was blocked by the Cougar goalie. Diego Arias was right there for the clean up as he knocked in his first goal of the night to tie things up for the Chargers and break the scoreless streak against the Cougars.
After that, it pretty much started to rain goals at the Cougars stadium. The Cougars nimble Number 10 weaved his way through Charger defenders at the 12 minute mark later on in the game, giving him a good look at the net. His shot just barely made it over the reaching arms of Reid, and the Cougars were back on top. Only a minute later, it took an amazing diving snag by Reid to prevent back-to-back goals by Number 10.
Andres Correa had a great opportunity with 6 minutes remaining in the half, but couldn't quite connect with the net. Less than 40 seconds later, Correa got his second chance as the Chargers found their way onto the board again as Nico Vega assisted him in another game-tying goal. Going into the halftime, the game was locked in a 2-2 tie.
Both teams continued to play physically into the second half, bumping and shoving their way to the ball with aggression. The rivalry was in full force, as the Chargers were trying to dethrone the Cougars for the top seed of Conference 19. The Cougars, on the other hand, were looking for an early advantage to maybe peacefully walk away with the top seed.
Courtland's Number 10 started things off for the Cougars in the second half with his second goal of the day to give the Cougars another advantage. He danced around another pair of Charger defenders, as was practically alone with the net for his second goal.
One minute later, the Chargers struck again. Daniel Garcia didn't let the crowd settle in at all, as he knocked a beautiful kick into the net to knot the two teams in their third tie of the game. The teams were going back and forth, and the Chargers were still looking for that big play to push themselves over the top.
At the 26 minute mark, it was Ruben Niamien who provided that big play. Niamien had an open look at the goal, failing to put it in the first time due to a beautiful save by the Cougar goalie. Niamien was alone with the ball again however, and he cashed it in for a goal the second time to give the Chargers their first lead of the night. The energized Chargers weren't done yet.
The Cougar goalie made the mistake of tossing the ball to one of his teammates who was being trailed by Arias. Arias made the nifty move, stealing the ball and punching it into the net to give the Chargers the biggest lead of the night. The Chargers were on fire, tasting victory.
The Cougars gave them a dosage of realization how much game was left, as Number 7 was tripped up in the Chargers' penalty area, giving him a penalty shot. Reid made an incredible save, but Number 7 rushed right back in to tap it into the net for a goal to make the game close again.
The final 18 minutes of the game was a stressful time for both teams. The Chargers started to dominate possession, but weren't ever really to find the net again. The Cougars started to slip up, and couldn't quite get a rally going. The Chargers played the possession game, and won it, late. They cruised on to a 5-4 victory, and it was a huge one.
This win extends the Chargers hot streak as of late, were their last loss was to the Cougars many weeks ago. It was also a big conference win, that will help them gain confidence down the road. The Chargers got revenge, and have put the hot-starting Cougars in a hole as they've dropped two straight games after starting the season undefeated.
The Chargers will go on to play James Monroe later this week, as they look to keep up on the hot shooting.
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