Chatham Outlasts Shorthanded NorWest in U-15 Soccer

The U-15 Chatham Attack were on the road for the 3rd time out of 4 games in a row on the road,  in London,  taking on the NorWest Attack Green. The Attack had not yet played NorWest green so they were a little cautious from the onset until they figured out what and who they were up against. NorWest was short handed playing with no subs, so Chatham’s game plan was simple, run them into the ground. In the end, Chatham’s gameplan paid off as they captured a 4-1 win.

Chatham’s play throughout the 1st half was not a thing of beauty but was effective enough to provide some sustained offence. A loose ball at centre half was challenged hard by Brandon Foster and his momentum and hard tackle resulted in a long shot from 40 yards out that sailed over the NorWest goalie’s head and dropped into the back of the net for a 1 – 0 lead. Later in the half Chatham was controlling the play and their flurry of activity in the NorWest 18 yard box led to John Montgomery being pulled down in the box. Christian Bechard calmly took the penalty shot and made no mistake by burying it for a 2 – 0 lead.

With a 2 – 0 lead at the half and momentum on their side, Chatham committed the cardinal sin of falling asleep on the opening kick off of the 2nd half. They watched NorWest control the ball and one touch pass their way up the field and finish the build up uncontested to close the gap to 2 – 1 , suddenly making a game of it. Chatham responded to the wake up call by picking up the pace of the game, but no matter what they threw at the NorWest net, they could not get a shot past the NorWest goalie. Finally Chatham broke through again as Drew McFeggan converted a free kick from 25 yards out to give Chatham a comfortable 3 – 1 lead. Chatham did not let up as Christian Bechard scored his 2nd of the game to round out the scoring, on a great individual effort breakaway goal.

The 4 – 1 win helps to keep Chatham within striking distance of the top 2 teams.