The Chatham girl's soccer team hosted a struggling but very dangerous Greenville team on Thursday in a battle of two teams who looked like they were going in opposite directions. The young Panthers have had a solid season thus far while up until a week ago the Spartans had looked like the cream of the crop in the Patroon. After 100 minutes of hard fought soccer action Greenville pulled out a come from behind 5-4 win.
The two teams combined for a lot of shots and action through the first half an hour of the game with each offense peppering the opposing goals. Finally in the 36th minute Chatham broke free for a 1-0 lead when Cailey Nieto sent a ball between defenders and onto the running foot of Caroline Connor who calmly placed the ball in the far netting past the charging keeper.
It took just two minutes for the Spartans to respond as they pressed right up into the Chatham box. A Greenville shot beat Chatham's goalie Brittany Lossow but a defender was there to clear it off the line, but the ball went right to Heather Carl who knotted the game at one.
The two teams traded chances back and forth over the final few minutes of the first half as they headed to halftime even. Giving up a single goal in the half to the potent Spartan offense was even more impressive for the Panthers when it is noted that their starting sweeper Vicki Beamiss went down with an injury early. Kayla Clark, Abby Berninger and Caly Van Brunt stepped up the defensive effort to slow down the Greenville attack in the first half.
Coming right out of the break, just a minute and five seconds later the Panthers retook the lead when Taylor Wenk fired a low shot that found it's way under Greenville keeper Bonnie Harvey. Chatham kept up the intensity and Nieto nearly missed another goal firing it just high.
Fourteen minutes into the half Chatham would strike again, this time for a 3-1 lead. Chatham launched a corner into the box where Wenk ripped off a defender. The ball bounced to Alyssa Keeler who put the ball into the back of the net. The Panthers two goal lead however would be short lived. Right off the kickoff Alex Van Auken dribbled and juked her way through nearly the entire Panther team before scoring 13 seconds after the Panther goal to pull within one.
With 9 minutes on the clock and Chatham clinging to a one goal lead the Spartans would not be denied. Tess McAneny slid a pass to Jess Schonning just outside the box. Schonning turned, faced the goal and fired a high shot past the outstretched arms of Lossow to even the game at three and send the game to overtime.
A minute into the first overtime Greenville took it's first lead of the game when Taylor Ann Young crossed the ball to Van Auken who had a great finish into the side netting. A mere minute and fourteen seconds later Chatham responded as Wenk powered the ball past a charging goalie.
The two teams played the rest of the first overtime with Chatham putting on non stop pressure but being unable to finish. Both teams had their chances in the second overtime but it wasn't until the final 20 seconds that the game would be decided.
Young broke up the sideline and as the defenders collapsed she found Morgan Haskin all alone right in front of the goal. Haskin fired a shot on goal as Lossow charged the ball and got her hands on to it. The ball was loose and both teams scrambled before a Spartan player knocked the ball towards the net with Lossow on the ground. A Chatham defender was knocked to the ground near the mouth of the goal and hit it with her arm, keeping it out of the goal, but earning a yellow card and giving Greenville a penalty kick. Young took the kick and slid it past Lossow for the win.
Chatham outshot Greenville 30 to 21 while also holding an advantage in corner, 4-2. Brittany Lossow made 15 stops for Chatham, while Bonnie Harvey notched 21.
The Panthers fall to 7-4 and next have to face off with ICC on Saturday. Greenville improves to 7-3-1 and will host Hudson next Wednesday in their next match.
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