Chesapeake Boys Get Past Northeast, 2-1

By Colin A.J. Murphy

Two goals by senior midfielder Joey Fontanez powered the Chesapeake boys soccer team to a 2-1 victory over the Northeast Eagles at Tick Neck Park on September 13. The win is the first of the season for Chesapeake and gives the Cougars momentum as they prepare to enter a tough stretch of schedule that will see them face several area soccer powers in the coming weeks.

Though they ultimately fell, Northeast certainly did not make matters easy on Chesapeake. The two teams waged a battle for possession in the middle of the field for about 10 minutes to start the game, with neither side creating any scoring opportunities. The Eagles nearly took advantage of an early opportunity when senior forward Michael Knopp chased down a boot-and-run pass from a Northeast back and took a shot from the left corner of the box, but the attempt sailed wide to the left.

Northeast’s unsuccessful chance got the attention of Chesapeake, who responded by beginning to steadily create and sustain possession, pushing more and more numbers into their attacking third of the field. Seniors Fontanez, Josh Kimery, Tre Kurtz, and Mitchell Mattox and the entire Chesapeake front seven created a flurry of shot opportunities, and Northeast goalkeeper Nick Oppel did very well to keep Chesapeake off the scoreboard with an array of diving saves throughout the first half.

But the Eagles were only able to handle the pressure for so long, and late in the half the barrage of Chesapeake shots created the sense that a goal was sure to come at any moment. It happened just before the break, when Kimery streaked down the right sideline and used a series of jukes to free himself for a cross into the box. His ball found Fontanez all alone in front of the goal, and the prolifically-scoring Fontanez calmly trapped before firing past the keeper. The shot took a deflection off a late coming Northeast defender, but it was headed to the back of the net either way, and the Cougars took a 1-0 lead moments before the half.

Northeast, for their part, hardly backed off after halftime, and their attacking efforts paid off in the second period when fullback Kelly Kean drew a foul on a Chesapeake defender on the edge of the box, giving the Eagles a penalty kick. Northeast forward Michael Knopp equalized for his team despite the best efforts of Chesapeake goalie Corey Budka, who got a hand on the shot but wasn’t able to keep it from spinning into the back of the net.

With so many well-created but missed chances in the first half for Chesapeake, a draw would have been a disappointing result. But the Cougars regained the lead on another goal by Fontanez, who found the net with a fantastic diving header off a beautifully lofted ball from junior midfielder Brennan Hardesty. The Cougars played out the clock, securing victory in the rivalry-game that was perhaps more competitive than some might have thought going in.

Chesapeake completed an undefeated week with a double-overtime, 3-2 victory over Annapolis High School on September 15. To view a photo gallery of the Chesapeake vs. Northeast game, visit our sports photo galleries page at www.pasadenavoice.com/in-focus.