Northview Titans Varsity Boys Game Summaries
Northview v. Alpharetta 3-0
April 10th, 2006
Coming back from a thirteen day break, the Titans dominated in a match against the Alpharetta Raiders on the Northview turf. The final score of 3 – 0 allowed the Titans to claim their seventh shutout victory. Northview dominated play, but the Raiders had several solid threats on goal.
Jeff Scannella warmed it up with a 3rd minute steal at 30 yards out on the Raiders side of the field, and fed Andrew Cameron, who excited the crowd with a shot off the right post. And two minutes further, Scannella passed on to AJ Johnson at 25 yards on the left, who shot back to the right, and Alpharetta’s keeper touched it out for a corner kick.
At eight minutes, the Raiders had their first chance stopped, after a free kick from 30 yards went around a 3 man wall to within 5 yards and was headed by a Raider across to the left side, but Stephen Gulia broke up the attack. As the Titans advanced the other way, the ball was played to Johnson again on the left, and this time his cross back from 10 yards found Jeremy Stille unmarked in front of the goal. Stille tapped it in from 5 yards for the Titans’ first GOAL.
Cameron and Scannella released shots from within 15 yards in the next two attacks, with one wide left, and the other saved well by the Raider keeper. As Alpharetta worked the ball, they found an open man at 16 yards after a midfield free kick, but a weak shot was collected by Titan keeper Will Whorton. Several minutes of midfield play followed, and then at 27 minutes, Brandon McCollum crossed from left at 45 yards, all the way to Scannella on the right flank all alone. The helpless keeper rushed out, and Jeff easily poked it past for a GOAL and a 2 – 0 Titan lead.
Northview passed well and maintained possession for several minutes, both offensively and in their half while keeping the Raiders from getting close. Just prior to half, a Titan foul allowed a free kick from 35 yards, which Whorton had to punch out just wide of the goal.
As the second half started, the Titans threatened early. Andrew Stoniecki’s throw in to Jeff Scannella at 15 yards on the right led to a quick shot, a save and a bobble by the Raider keeper, but Paul Kornmayer was just one step too late to turn the mistake into a score. Shots by AJ Johnson and Scannella both went high in successive drives, and as the Raiders got foiled time and again at midfield, the Titans would pass back all the way to Whorton, who would launch the next round with drives to beyond midfield. Kornmayer got chances from 25 yards on the right and 16 yards on the left, and left the home fans hanging as each one just missed wide.
The Titans third score was by Jeremy Stille again, this time at the end of a solo run on the right side, past a defender, drawing out and freezing the keeper upright, with a slide shot past him into the net from 15 yards for the final GOAL of the night at 57 minutes. Northview wrapped up the game with a lot of ball control, allowing only one more shot on goal by the Raiders.
