Chazy wins battle of Class D top five-ranked teams, 2-1
· Yahoo Sports
NORTHVILLE — Chaz and Northville squared off Saturday in a rare non-league, regular-season meeting between two of the currently ranked top five boys’ soccer teams in the state in Class D.
The Eagles (12-0, 6-0), ranked second, emerged with a 2-1 win over the previously-unbeaten Falcons (10-1, 7-0) from Section II, ranked fifth, on Jacoby Weeden’s penalty kick at 26:58 of the second half.
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“Absolutely, it was definitely a state playoff atmosphere,” Chazy coach Rob McAuliffe said. “It was attended by a lot of people and had the feeling of more like a November game than an October game.
“It was a good win for us against a good team at their place. I was proud of the way we played.”
Northville, which competes in the Western Athletic Conference of Section II, had outscored its opponents, 86-3, coming into the game and had scored eight or more goals in seven of its 10 contests.
The two teams, who are familiar with one another when it comes to state play, played to a scoreless deadlock in the first half.
“We played pretty well in the first half and were able to get some chances,” McAuliffe said. “I felt we were the better team in the half, but we didn’t finish.”
It didn’t take the Eagles long to get the lead in the second half when Zeke McLennan scored off a Landon Duprey assist.
“Landon had a direct kick from the corner that deflected back to him and he sent the ball back in to Zeke, who one-timed it into the net from about seven yards out,” McAuliffe said.
The Chazy lead lasted until the 16:15 mark when Northville standout McQuade Klippel knotted the score off a Patrick Halloran assist.
“It was good to go up, 1-0, early in the second half, but credit to them to keep working hard and tie it,” McAuliffe said.
“It actually came off our corner kick where the ball was played out to midfield and their player got through our defense on a break.”
The deadlock lasted for just over 10 minutes when Northville was called for a hand ball in the penalty area and Weeden converted.
“I was happy with the way we responded after they scored,” McAuliffe said, “I felt we held the majority of the play and created some good chances.
“There were a lot of re-starts in the game and the ball was sent into the box where it bounced around before we took a shot on goal from close range that resulted in a hand ball.
“It was clearly a hand ball and nobody was arguing the call. Jacoby did a great job finishing.”
The game, however, wasn’t over and Chazy was able to hang on.
“The last seven or eight minutes, they did put some pressure on us,” McAuliffe said. “But I was happy with how well we defended.”
The Eagles, who recorded a 2-0 win over Northville in last year’s Class D state quarterfinals, finished with a 12-7 advantage in shots on goal in Saturday’s contest.
Henry Kapp had four saves in the Chazy nets to get the win and Joey Capabiancon stopped five shots for Northville.
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Chazy 2, Northville 1
Chazy 0 2 — 2
Northville 0 1 — 1
Second half- 1, CCRS, McLennan (Duprey), 2:02. 3, NCS, Klippel (Halloran), 16:15. 3, CCRS, Weeden pk, 26:58.
Shots on goal- CCRS, 12-7.
Saves- H. Kapp, CCRS, 4. Capobiancon, 5.