INMAN, S.C. – On the heels of a region win over Blue Ridge, the Chapman Panthers boys soccer team had a quick 24 hour turnaround on Thursday for a home region match against the Travelers Rest Devildogs. After jumping out to an early lead, the Panthers held off a late charge for a 5-3 victory over the Devildogs.
After three near misses in the first 20 minutes, Chapman broke through on a free kick at midfield. The ball sailed deep downfield, where Jakob Schall blew by a defender near the six yard box and scored with a header to the upper left corner of the net for a 1-0 Chapman lead in the 26th minute. Travelers Rest fired a shot on goal with a cross to the right side of the 18 yard box three minutes later, but Panther keeper Cody Benstead pounced on the ball for the save. The Devildogs later fired home an equalizer in the 33rd minute, only to see the Panthers net a goal off a free kick from 18 yards away two minutes later, staking Chapman to a 2-1 lead at the break. “We were in a similar situation against (Greer Middle College) earlier in the year,” recalled Chapman head coach Chris DowDell. “We had 20 seconds left in the game and gave up a goal that tied it, then lost it in penalty kicks. At Spartanburg High, we were up 2-0 and the next thing you know, we lost 4-3.” “You’ve got all the momentum going your way, but then you make a mistake and let them back in the game. We needed (this situation tonight) because we needed to figure out how to deal with that pressure and to close the game out.” Eight minutes into the second half, Mario Armendariz sent a pass down the middle of the 18 yard box, where Schall tracked it perfectly and netted his second marker of the night, creating a two goal advantage for the Panthers. Travelers Rest pulled within a one goal margin twice in the second stanza, which saw the Panthers take a 4-3 lead into the final eight minutes of regulation. With less than four minutes left, the Panthers netted a goal from close range in the six yard box that secured the region win and provided the final margin. “Isaac Andryushenko had a tough mark (defensively),” DowDell pointed out. “The guy he was up against was very good, big, and physical. Isaac has really stepped his game up quite a bit and I thought he was excellent. Matthew Steading was just steady in the back (line). The big one that sticks in my mind is Mario Armendariz in the midfield.” “(Mario) is so smooth on the ball and when he is playing with confidence, he is as good as any player on the field. His assist when he chipped it over the top to Jakob on the third goal was fantastic. That is a top notch play anywhere in the world and he is capable of that stuff when he plays with confidence.” Schall led the Panthers with a hat trick, scoring three goals to go along with an assist. Brandon Vallecillo finished with a goal and an assist, while Armendariz and Steading each tallied an assist. Tim Yakovenko added a goal, while netminders Cody Benstead and Landon Pruitt combined for three saves in the win. As a team, Chapman tallied 20 shots (11 on goal) and limited the Devildogs to six total shots for the contest. Chapman (8-2, 4-0 Region 3-3A) will return to action on Tuesday, April 9th, when they host the Carolina Trojans in a Region 3-3A match, slated for a 7:30 PM kick. Thursday’s Scoreboard: Girls Soccer: Travelers Rest 2, Chapman 0 Softball: Travelers Rest 4, Chapman 3 · CHP: 9-4 overall (4-1 Region) · Next game: Friday at Boiling Springs Boys Golf – 1. Broome, 2. Chapman, 3. Blue Ridge, 4. Union County · Medalist: Will McCraw (CHP) with a score of 37 Comments are closed.
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