Northview Titans Varsity Boys Game Summary
North Gwinnett vs. Northview, 0-6
March 29th
Game conditions: 63 degrees, at game time 8:00 pm
The Titans prevailed mightily in this match, winning 6 – 0 and outshooting their opponents with 17 shots on goal to only 3 for the Bulldogs. The game was marred by 2 red cards shown to North Gwinnett players, and 1 to a Northview player.
Controlling the ball at midfield and on attack all night long, the Titans kept their opponents from creating much offensive threat to their own net. When unmarked North Gwinnett players found themselves nearing the Titan goal at various moments in the match, their shots were generally off the mark.
In the first ten minutes, the Titans shots on goal came from quality offense. At 4 minutes, Sayeed Mehrjerdian made a long throw from 30 yards on the left touch line to Alex Alonso at 15 yards. The Bulldog keeper had to punch Alonso’s hard shot over the bar for Northview’s first corner kick. Andrew Cameron’s shot off the incoming corner kick was blocked by a defender at 10 yards. A few minutes later, Cameron passed to Jeremy Stille at 15 yards, whose low shot was saved.
In the defensive end, Stephen Gulia met oncoming Bulldogs and ended their attacks with solid take-aways, and at 8 minutes blocked a shot at 15 yards that was headed toward the Titan net. Keeper BJ Luksis made an easy save 2 minutes later coming out to 10 yards on a ball poked in from 30 yards away.
Northview’s first goal at 14 minutes resulted from Mehrjerdian coming in alone on the left side and finding the lower left corner of the net from 17 yards out.
North Gwinnett had perhaps its best scoring chance of the night at 18minutes, as an attacker on the right sided deftly worked around a Titan defender on an open field one-on-one at 30 yards and shot for the far post, but a quick head flick by an open Bulldog attacker went wide left.
On the Titans next drive at 20 minutes, Cameron Pratt crossed from the right to Jeff Scannella near the far post, who passed back in to Andrew Cameron. The Bulldog keeper was quick enough to make the save on Cameron’s shot. As North Gwinnett came back on attack, the Titans benefited from a referee decision to make no call, after a Bulldog found himself prone inside the Titan penalty area while moving the ball laterally against a scrambling Northview defense.
At 22 minutes, AJ Johnson played “long ball” and led Scannella with a pass from 50 yards in to 15 on the left side. Jeff had no trouble with a fast shot back across just inside the far post and the Titans led 2 – 0. The Titans continued attacking after the kick-off. With quick restarts after fouls, and after wide shots by Josh Carter and Mehrjerdian, Brandon McCollum from 40 yards found Scannella, and North Gwinnett hastily cleared, giving the Titans a corner kick. A minute later, AJ Johnson again made a long, timely lead pass, this time to Andrew Cameron, who prevailed against the Bulldogs’ keeper who had come out to 15 yards trying to stop the pass. Cameron’s header found the net and the Titans opened their lead to 3 – 0.
Two minutes later at the 28 th minute, after Scannella shot across the goal mouth left to right, Cameron retrieved the ball in the right corner and fed McCollum at 12 yards out in the center, whose chest high shot made it 4 – 0 Northview. Luksis had to make one more save late in the half on a shot from 20 yards on the left side before the Titans took their lead into the break.
Just three minutes into the second half, Josh Carter fouled at midfield and was shown a yellow card. After regaining possession, the Titans kept up the attack, as Jeremy Stille broke free at 25 yards out, but his shot from 15 yards away was saved.
As North Gwinnett pressed their attack from long distance, Luksis chose to come out into open space as the Bulldogs put a high pass from 50 yards into 30 yards. Luksis won the race to the ball, cleared away and stayed standing after a solid collision with the Bulldog attacker (who did not). Gulia again displayed fine defensive work in the second half, shielding an errant North Gwinnett pass from
In the 51 st and 52 nd minutes, the Titans upped the tally for the night with two more goals, both by Andrew Cameron. Stille’s fine crossing pass from ten yards deep on the right side went right to Cameron’s foot -- and right into the net. The second score had a bit more drama as Josh Carter, free with the ball at 35 yards on the right, drew the Bulldog keeper out ten yards off his line. Carter’s chip shot was barely saved, and as it bounced free at 2 yards, Cameron was positioned to slam it in for the sixth Titan goal.
At 57 minutes, McCollum was called for a holding foul near midfield, and as he and a Bulldog both went down to the ground, McCollum was the victim of two hard deliberate kicks from the North Gwinnett player. Players from both teams rushed close, either to hold back another player or to cause mischief. When it all ended, two Bulldogs had received red cards for their behavior. Northview’s David Cantor also was shown the red card, and McCollum received a yellow card.
The last several minutes of the match went without further score, although the Bulldogs had one shot from a free kick at 40 yards scrape the top of the bar. Northview had two more quality chances. Cameron passed o Jimmy Mitchell at 20 yards whose solid shot was hauled in by the keeper. After a Bulldog foul outside their penalty area, Carter’s free kick from from15 yards near the left touch line went in to Scannella, whose quick head flick was saved. Northview ran out the remaining seconds, and brought home another high scoring, shutout win.
