Explosive Second Half Powers Chargers Past Chiefs

Varsity Boys Soccer Regionals: Monacan Chiefs vs. Chancellor Chargers

By: Greg Wolfe

The Chancellor Chargers (16-3-1) battled through a rough game for another gutsy performance Monday afternoon, as two late goals helped propel the team to a 2-1 victory over the visiting Monacan Chiefs (10-9).

Eli Carr supplied the first of the two late goals in the game with 18 minutes left in the second half. He battled all afternoon, and would walk off the field with the dirtiest jersey. "Coming in we knew had to work hard and put all the effort out there on the field," Carr commented after the game. "That goal I got late was big, helped build some momentum for us going into the rest of the game."

Carr's goal did just that, despite the Chiefs answering just one minute later. After a penalty gave the Chiefs an open kick from just in front of the midfield line, the Chiefs placed it just in front of the Charger net allowing Aaron Eiser to come out of the scrum and tap it in to tie things back up at 1.

The Chargers knew how to respond to a surprising late goal, however. Last week the Foxes pulled of a similar goal to tie things back up. The difference in this game was that the Chargers wouldn't need any overtime to seal up the win.

With six minutes left in the game, the Chargers came up clutch after multiple chances at a goal that had come up just short. Andres Correa set his feet and read the Monacan defense perfectly, tossing a pass over the majority of the team crowded in the box where Chris Jimenez was waiting to head it into the corner of the net and make it a 2-1 lead for the Chargers.

The Chiefs weren't done yet, and they put on a surprising final-effort during the last five minutes of the game keeping the ball in Charger territory for the majority of the time. The Chief's Max Mahoney and Johnny Watters were a big part of that push, using their speed to try and weave through the Chargers' defense.

Goalkeeper Josh Reid continued to be the wall we all expect him to be, rising his save total to 5 in the game. Defenders Kwesi Abban, Mike Kreider and Kris Kokoneshi also provided marvelous support, clearing out all the Chiefs' threats.

The Chargers rebounded spectacularly. In the first half, the team seemed to be off to a sluggish start and the brief downpour of rain halfway through the first half didn't help matters much. But when they came out in the second half, it was a whole new ball game.

This win pushes the Chargers into the Regional Semifinals, where they will host the Midlothian Trojans at home on Wednesday. The Chargers will look to get some offensive pieces back from injury and continue to stay hot, as they continue to look forward and extend their season.

Stat Section

Chancellor Chargers

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Monacan Chiefs

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