Northview Titans Varsity Boys Game Summaries
Northview v. Mill Creek 1-3
March 21st, 2006
On an early spring evening with a chill in the air, the Titans found their offense just plain cold. Northview started strong and fast, but couldn’t last the match, falling to Mill Creek 1-3.
At just two minutes, Andrew Cameron passed from 35 yards out to Jeff Scannella who dribbled in, stutter-stepped past a defender at 16 yards, went to his left then let loose a shot that caromed off the goalkeeper and the Titans had an early GOAL and a 1-0 lead at two minutes.
For the next ten minutes, the Titans defense displayed strength, with Stephen Gulia repeatedly rebuffing attempts by the Hawks to pass into the Northview side, returning header after header out to midfield for the Titans to turn upfield. The Hawks found only one opportunity, which Northview keeper Will Whorton shut down by coming off his line and blocking the ball out for a Mill Creek corner kick.
Offensively, the Titans set up shots for Stephen Glover, Jacob Lee, and Jeff Scannella, with the Hawks keeper having to save on Scannella. Two corner kick chances were cleared away by the Hawks also. Northview controlled well in midfield play. Then at 17 minutes, Mill Creek got its first break with a clear two on one attack, but Gulia stole the ball cleanly to thwart them. In the 20th minute, the Titans had a series of attempts by AJ Johnson and Andrew Cameron in close, but came away empty.
A sudden reversal of fortune saw another Mill Creek two on one attack, but Jeremy Stille ran down the attacker in the right corner, forcing a crossing pass back out past 20 yards. Mill Creek found an open ball on a defensive lapse by Northview, and a shot found its mark to tie the game at 1-1.
Mill Creek’s offense seemed to strengthen from that point on, forcing the Titans to respond, and keeper Whorton swooped out to the left side for a full sprawling block on one shot, and a few minutes later after Tanner Chamblin was called on a foul, quick passing by the Hawks and a hard low shot from 30 yards made Whorton move quickly to defend the goal again. In between Hawk attacks, the Titans managed to set up more opportunities, but couldn’t get closer than 25 yards as Cameron, then Glover, had shots go high. After a Hawk foul at 28 minutes, the Titans took the free kick and Andrew Cameron made an excellent head pass to the left post, but Ramu Annamalai wasn’t able to drive it home.
At 36 minutes the Hawks struck again. Getting by the Northview defense, an attacker closed in on goal from 30 yards on the right. Whorton came out to 12 yards and cleared the ball out with a quick slide kick move, but another unmarked Mill Creek player lofted a shot from 30 yards out on the right touch line, over a retreating Whorton, and in for a score.
The Titans came close in the last two minutes of the half, with Cameron owning the ball on a rebound just 10 yards out on the right. He worked the ball back to the left but the Titans couldn’t pull the trigger from close in. One more shot by Cameron Pratt from near on the left was blocked out for a corner kick, but the Hawks cleared and held a 2-1 lead at the half.
The Titans opened the second half with renewed hope, and in the 42nd minute, Scannella moved the ball to Cameron at 15 yards on the left. Andrew went in to 5 yards, spun, went back out to 10 yards, and then cracked a shot off the crossbar. Sayeed Mehrjerdian led the next attack, passing in to Scannella on the left at the corner of the penalty area. Jeff slid around one defender, passed out to Glover, whose shot from 20 yards sailed too high. Andrew Cameron earned a corner kick two minutes later with good tactics, but the Titans couldn’t use the set play to their advantage.
At 48 minutes, the two Hawk attackers worked their two man spread passing again, and Whorton was faced with an open man coming at him. He closed the distance and won the ball at 15 yards, kicking clear. Just two minutes later, a foul by Sam Bevan gave Mill Creek a free kick; a pass, a blocked shot, a corner kick for the Hawks led to a another shot sent in a low and hard, that found Will Whorton diving to the left post to stop.
Mill Creek wouldn’t let up, and after another Titan foul in Mill Creek’s side of midfield, a long free kick led to a two on two play. Whorton had to come out as one of the Hawks broke free with the ball, and he won the contest, giving Mill Creek a 3 to 1 lead.
For several minutes following, the game was played out in the midfield area as both defenses tightened up.
Whorton stood the test a few more times, fielding shots chest high, and watching hopefully as one more breakaway by Mill Creek brought him out to defend alone, with a shot ringing off the right post, avoiding another score by the Hawks. The Titans earned a few more chances for good shots thru the remainder of the match, but none found the mark, and Northview’s night ended with its second lowest goal production of the season in the 1 – 3 defeat.
