Post Photo by Rickey Clardy A pair of 16s battle for possession as Alex Domingo of the Vikings and Vayden Moore of the Champions scramble near the sideline.
By RICKEY CLARDY
Sports Writer
UNIONVILLE — After both teams led and battled tooth-and-nail for 80 minutes to gain the upper hand, in the end the Cascade Champions and Community Vikings settled for a 3-3 tie in a District 9-A soccer match Thursday night.
Though the teams were close to equal in time of possession for the first 20 minutes, it was the Vikings who peppered the goal more.
Community drew first blood in the 6th minute as Nicky Anica drove down the middle after taking a pass from Jacob Graham and slid the ball to the left of the goalie as Community took a 1-0 lead.
The Vikings had serious threats in the 9th and 18th minutes, but narrow misses around the goal kept the Community lead at one.
The Champions used the strong throw-in adeptness of Ivan Draine and the head of Andrew Dowell to draw even without the benefit of a kick in the 24th minute. Dowell went to the spot of Draine’s pass 15 yards in front of the goal and headed in the ball as the Champs tied the game at 1-1.
With momentum on their side, the Champs took the lead in the 32nd minute as Gabe Perez-Rubio’s hard kick slightly deflected off a Viking defender, causing the ball to change course and elude the Community goalie as Cascade took its first lead at 2-1.
The Vikings had one serious threat in the 35th minute, but a shot just missed the goal line as the Champs took their advantage to the intermission.
The teams traded possessions in the first 10 minutes of the second half before the Champs upped their lead in the 51stminute. After taking a pass from Vayden Moore, Williamson Cook made a nifty fake and followed with a kick to the right of the goalie as Cascade took a 3-1 lead.
With the momentum seemingly in the favor of the Champions, the Vikings took only a minute to cut into the Cascade lead as Graham drilled the ball over the head of the goalie from the left side, leaving the Champions with a 3-2 advantage.
After the teams went back and forth for the next 13 minutes, it was déjà vu for the Vikings in the 65th minute as another kick went over the head of the goalkeeper for the score. This time, it was Alejandro Catalan doing the honors from 40 yards out as his kick found the window between the goalkeeper and the top of the net as Community tied the game at 3-3.
Both teams had chances to break the tie in the final five minutes. A Champion try in the 76th minute barely missed the mark while the closest chance may have been from the Vikings in the 78th minute as a breakaway shot at the goal went over the net. A Cascade attempt just before the buzzer went slightly to the left as the hard-fought game came to a close.
Cascade 2 1 — 3
Community 1 2 — 3
First Half
Com — Nicky Anica goal from Jacob Graham (6th minute).
Cas — Andrew Dowell goal from Ivan Draine (24th minute).
Cas — Gabe Perez-Rubio goal (32nd minute).
Second Half
Cas — Williamson Cook goal from Vayden Moore (51st minute).
Com — Graham goal (52nd minute).
Com — Alejandro Catalan goal (65th minute).
