Northview Titans Varsity Boys Game Summary
Northview vs. Chattahoochee, 0-1
March 25th
Game conditions: 64 degrees, at game time 8:00 pm
Chattahoochee's undefeated team took a 1 goal lead at 21 minutes, and stopped the Titans from scoring this night, in a battle high in emotion and mental tactics. Befitting the Northview team name, the contest had elements of Greek mythology, with mayhem resulting during an epic battle that led to punishment - in this match, two Titans were banished to "the underworld" for the last eleven minutes of the match.
"And so now with fixed purpose and deliberate counsel we will aid your power in dreadful strife and will fight against the Titans in hard battle." -- said to Zeus (Greek poet Hesiod, in Theogony)
Just as Zeus and the gods eventually defeated the Titans in Greek lore, the Cougars appeared more clever in taunting the Titans in battle this night. In the first half, while the Cougars outfouled the Northview eleven (11 vs 9) it was the Titans that drew two yellow cards. One came during a stoppage at 26 minutes, as both teams maneuvered for position near the wall formed by Northview on a Cougar free kick from 28 yards, the other was shown on a pushing foul as Northview defended at midfield at 32 minutes.
Two more yellow cards were displayed against the Titans on fouls early in the second half, in which total fouls were split evenly by the teams at 12 each. And two red cards came out at 69 minutes, leaving the Titans to play the remaining minutes with two men down. As Northview executed strong offense during the last part of the match, Chattahoochee defended well enough to hang on for the win.
Throughout the night, both keepers showed skill in coming off their line to collect balls in the air from corner kicks, and from crossing passes into the box.
At 4 minutes, the Cougars' first test on Northview's defense came with a cross in from the right side at ten yards out. Sayeed Mehrjerdian kicked it clear back out to the right, the Cougars regained and got a shot from 25 yards in the middle, which keeper BJ Luksis saved as it dove in low. Brian Colyer's defensive skills showed early as he cleared a ball by directing it off a Chattahoochee player on the left touch line at ten yards, stopping the attack.
Northview's first solid chance at scoring came at ten minutes, as Alex Alonso threw in to Jeff Scannella, who dribbled across from left to right at 25 yards, came in to 20 yards and shot just wide right. Brandon McCollum, Scannella, Mehrjerdian and Stephen Gulia all showed good passing at midfield for the Titans at that point, and the Cougars began committing fouls in the midfield area, giving free kicks, rather than allowing penetration with possession by the Titans. The Cougar keeper (a former Northview player the prior year) came out to catch the free kick as it came in to 15 yards.
The Cougars got a solid shot from 35 yards that flew just over the bar, and gave away another scoring chance on their next run downfield, as a fine cross at 20 yards was whiffed by a Cougar making a run in on goal.
At 17 minutes, Scannella was tripped while controlling on a move from right to left at 35 yards, then deliberately pushed after the referee called the tripping foul. The free kick was headed by a Cougar defender from 15, back to their keeper to stop the attack.
Chattahoochee's attack often found players open on throw-ins and allowed the Cougars to penetrate to within 20 yards several times, but the Titan defense held firm, including a quick block by Alonso on a shot at the 20th minute. But the Cougars would not relent, and kept at the goal until an opening gave them a shot from 5 yards for the score and a 1 - 0 lead.
In the next minute and throughout the match, as if using basketball tactics, the Cougars persistently fouled by tripping Scannella coming in on attack, and chose to take their chances on free kicks. On Northview's next attack one minute later, McCollum got off a shot from 15 yards, but went wide left. Northview had additional chances but either missed on passes across the field, or was stopped by the Cougars' defense. Defensively, fine work by Tanner Chamblin toward the end of the half shut down the quick Cougar attackers repeatedly as they approached to within 20 yards. Luksis made two chest high saves, first on a cross in from the left at 6 yards out, and then on a hard shot off a free kick from 25 yards in the middle, after Northview was found guilty of pushing in the air on a header challenge.
In the early minutes of the second half, Chattahoochee worked upfield with consecutive one touch passing that found men moving into open areas, and the Titans' Colyer had to clear at 5 yards for a Cougar throw in. The Cougars got a shot from 20 yards, but went wide right. For the next 20 minutes, both teams ran fast, worked to get open, and both defenses held up to all challenges. On one occasion, the Titans had what appeared to be advantage after Scannella was tripped inside midfield as Northview attacked, but the play was stopped for a free kick, effectively slowing down the oncoming Titans. The only serious Cougar threat came at 65 minutes after a Northview tripping foul at 10 yards on the left, but their free kick bounced off a Cougar foot for a Titan goal kick.
A moment later, Mehrjerdian took a pass from Scannella in stride at 30 yards, but went left of goal with his shot.
As the battle intensified with time moving off the clock, the next Northview foul, a trip by Gulia, led to a lengthy discussion by the referee both to Gulia and the man he was marking. Momentarily, calmness returned. But then at 69 minutes, Andrew Stoniecki took possession in Northview's half and began a rush upfield. A Cougar was called for tripping near the midfield stripe, and Alonso retrieved the ball and placed it down for the free kick. The referee on the far side from the play signaled that the ball was to be placed farther back. Alonso seemed to comply, and moved the ball backward once, then again at the referee's direction, then was shown a yellow card then red card as the referee moved in from across the width of the field. Then came confusion over the ball's position, frustration with the red card by the Titan team, and Brian Colyer also was shown a red card. When the referees had finished their own discussion and play resumed five minutes later, the ball was placed by the referee where Alonso had moved it on the referee's first instruction.
Playing with nine men, both Chattahoochee and Northview each committed four fouls in the remaining minutes. One resulted in a Cougar free kick from 25 yards, which went wide right of the Titan goal. Meanwhile, the Titans mounted repeated attacks, but Chattahoochee's defensive mode drove Scannella out wide and toward the end line on his rushes in, and his two shots from 5 yards off the end line both were saved by the keeper. The Titans kept the ball in the Cougar half for most of the last five minutes, but more Cougar tripping and holding fouls at 30 yards out, kept Northview from getting close to the net, and the match concluded with the Titans suffering the loss.
