Chesapeake Boys Start Well With Two Quality Wins

At 2-1-1 through four games, the Chesapeake boys soccer team shows all the familiar marks of a program accustomed to competing at a high level in the rough-and-tumble Anne Arundel County gauntlet.

The 2017 Cougars, playing under first-year head coach Drew Belcher, have skill and athleticism at all 11 points on the field, a strong work ethic and a will to win.

“The great thing about the kids is, they don’t want to stop,” said Belcher. “They want to win. There’s that ingrained effort.”

Those characteristics rose to the surface on a rainy Thursday when the Cougars outlasted Old Mill for a 2-1 win at home on September 14. Garrett Hall’s header off a Brett Joyner corner kick gave the Cougars a 1-0 lead in the first half, and after the Patriots drew level by halftime, Andrew Colebrook put Chesapeake back ahead with a penalty in the second half following an Old Mill hand ball in the box. Kyle Reider came on in the second half to record five saves in goal in wet and difficult conditions, alleviating first-half goalie Ethan Belcher, who had five saves in 40 minutes before moving to striker for the second half.

PHOTO GALLERY: Chesapeake boys soccer vs. Old Mill, 9.14.17

A 3-0 win over Eleanor Roosevelt on September 6 was the Cougars’ first deposit in the win column this season, earned on the strength of outputs from Colebrook and Jake Hynson, who both notched a goal and an assist in the win. Julian Denardo scored the Cougars’ other goal off an assist from Will Belcher.

Ethan Belcher had 10 saves in a 1-1 tie with Centennial on September 9, when Hynson scored off a pass from Joyner. A 0-2 defeat to Marriott’s Ridge on September 1 is the Cougars’ only blemish, but with the aforementioned as well as Nick Benson, Patrick Miller, Austin Stiegman, Nicholas Wells, Miguel Oliveira, Eli Belcher and others rounding out Chesapeake’s rotation, the Cougars believe their squad can be in the conversation as one of the county’s best.

Belcher says that once the roster is fully healthy and the boys’ soccer IQ sharpens into midseason form, the possession will become crisper, and goals should follow.

“It takes full effort every game,” said Belcher. “From here we need to be more consistent moving the ball and just be clinical in front of net. Our sights are on Severna Park and all the big boys, and if we want to really compete against them, we’ve got to bag our goals.”