WS Chronicle

BY TIMOTHY RAMSEY 

THE CHRONICLE

When Northwest middle school walked onto the pitch last Tuesday, they were seeking their first victory of the year.

But as they went down two goals late in the first half, that appeared to be out of reach. They fought back and tied up the score at two in the second half but fell to Walkertown in penalty kicks 3-2.

The two teams started the game just feeling one another out as the defenses held the upper hand.  As the first half progressed the Walkertown strikers began asserting themselves, getting multiple shots on goal, but were unable to score.

Jose Vallabla changed that when he stole the ball from the Northwest defenseman and scored the first goal of the game.

The Falcons attempted to go on the attack to tie the game up but missed multiple shots on goal.  Stephen Sanchez of Walkertown capitalized on his opportunity to score late in the first half and put the Wolfpack up 2-0 going into the intermission.

Walkertown head coach Angel Tapia says he just wants to teach his players how to play the game correctly.  He says he was pleased with his players but they still have some things to work on.

“My team got up 2-0 early and they began to relax in the first half,” said Tapia. “But I am here to try and push that out of them and it helps when you have very good players. We learned today that we cannot relax until the game is over.”

When the second half started, the Northwest offensive players came out with an intensity they didn’t show at the beginning of the game. The Falcons finally put one in the net when they scored during a scramble in front of the net following a corner kick, cutting the score in half 2-1.

Minutes later, the Falcons tied up the game when the ball ricocheted off of a Wolfpack defender and got past the goalkeeper. Each team attempted to break the 2-2 tie late in the second half but both defenses held strong. The game ended in a tie but due to this being a conference game, penalty kicks were required to determine a winner.

Walkertown made their first two penalty kicks, which put the pressure on the Northwest team. The Falcons made one of their first two, putting them behind. Both teams then scored on one of their next two shots, leaving Walkertown with a 3-2 advantage. The game was sealed when the Falcons missed their last penalty shot, giving Walkertown the victory.

Northwest head coach Kevin Bretz says at halftime they decided to make some lineup changes and was proud his team did not give up going down two goals early.

“Overall, this is one of the best games we have played all season,” Bretz said. “We were down 2 to nothing at the half and we came back to tie the game and force penalty kicks. Unfortunately, we lost the penalty kicks, but it’s a learning experience and if it happens again we know what to work on.”

Bretz continued by saying, “They shoudn’t hold their heads down because the last couple of games that’s what we have been doing. The other teams would score a couple of goals, and we kind of give up but for some reason today we fought back and we will try and get them next time.”