If the Friars are playing the Flyers, you can count on an exciting soccer game.
The St. Anthony’s boys’ team faced off against Chaminade on Wednesday, October 25th at Cy Donnelly field. Both teams played offensively and strove to come out on top, but after 90 minutes of fiercely competitive play the match ended in a 1-1 tie.
The first half was tense and scoreless. The two teams looked evenly matched, with neither side holding possession for long. Chaminade had an opportunity to score, but lost it when the high-flying shot went over the net.
It was during the second half that the game began to pick up momentum. The St. Anthony’s players returned to the field with renewed aggression and pushed the ball into Chaminade’s half. The Friars dominated play for the next 20 minutes, but the scoreboard didn’t show it: two shots by Johnny Lamantia failed to make it into the net.
A sharp turning point came in the 68th minute, when Chaminade players were able to break away and bring the action out of their half. A shot by Chaminade’s Brendan Slattery sent the ball spinning off of the goalpost and ricocheting towards Slattery’s teammate Ben Szemerenyi, who saw his chance. It was a quick moment, but it was enough to make the score 1-0 in Chaminade’s favor.
The St. Anthony’s team retaliated by playing the remainder of the game at an even higher level of competitiveness. For the next fifteen minutes, they barraged the Chaminade goalkeeper with a series of shots, corner kicks, and penalty kicks. However, as each attempt turned into a frustrating near miss, the clock wound down and it looked like the Flyers would be victorious.
When St. Anthony’s efforts finally paid off, it was in an unexpected way- defender Matt Barresi hadn’t even been trying to score. But Barresi’s long kick from half field landed in the net and evened the score to 1-1 with 6 minutes left on the clock.
“It was a free kick from just behind half field and I wasn’t looking to shoot,” said Barresi. “I was trying to send the ball in for someone else and I just kind of aimed for the back post and then it bounced through the crowd [on the field] and it just went in.”
The last five minutes of the game were tense and fast-paced, as each side made last-ditch attempts to score again, but eventually time ran out and the teams had to settle for a tie.
It wasn’t the first time the Friars and the Flyers tied: their last matchup also ended in a draw, which was part of the reason that St. Anthony’s had been anxious to do well in this game.
“After coming from a tie at Chaminade in September, we came into this match very excited to play Chaminade again,” said St. Anthony’s goalkeeper Rob Leamey.
The St. Anthony’s-Chaminade rivalry goes back even further than that. The Friars were also motivated in Wednesday’s game by the memory of last year’s loss to Chaminade in the NSCHSAA final.
“Last year’s loss was very disappointing because we were confident in ourselves and it was hard on us to lose,” said Leamey. “So coming into this season the seniors really wanted to redeem themselves.”
The Friars may still have a chance to prove themselves: St. Anthony’s and Chaminade are currently the top two teams in the NSCHSAA and will likely face off in the NSCHSAA finals again.
But until then, the Friars will keep putting in the effort to maintain their highly successful season.
The Friars play Wednesday, Nov. 1st, 7:00pm, home at CY Donnelly Field to take on Kellenberg in the first game of the playoffs.
About The Author:
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Danielle D’Alonzo Danielle has run cross country and track since freshman year. She reads the sports section every day and also writes for school newspaper, The Paduan. Danielle is also a member of NHS, Math Honor Society and English Honor Society. |
