Typically, ties are not thought to be a positive result for either side.
Yet the 3-3 deadlock between No. 1 Calvert Hall and third-ranked John Carroll in Friday night’s Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference soccer showdown could have positive ramifications for both teams, who now share the top spot in the league standings with 10 points.
The good news for the Cardinals from the contest is that while they did not create nearly as many scoring opportunities as they would have liked, they were very efficient in finishing their chances.
And the Patriots can revel in the fact that they had Calvert Hall on its heels — especially in the early portion of the first half — and held a one-goal lead midway through the second half against a team ranked third nationally by prepscoccer.com.
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John Carroll started quickly when senior midfielder Ryan Skandalis rippled the net in the first minute and then the Patriots continued to exert extreme pressure on the Cardinals’ backline, creating a slew of good chances to add to their lead.
Fortunately for Calvert Hall, senior keeper Nate Jones made two terrific plays — a kick-save and a one-hander that pushed a bullet wide — and senior midfielder Rich Monath cleared the ball twice from harm’s way during that span to keep the Patriots at bay.
Those missed opportunities came back to haunt John Carroll when Calvert Hall junior striker Ryan Belal equalized on a pass from senior Gabe Gilkin in the 27th minute and the Cardinals went ahead, 2-1, early in the second half when Cody Angelini found the net on a set-piece from fellow senior midfielder Ben Madore.
Less than two minutes later, Skandalis deadlocked the score for the second time while guiding in a pass from Ed Smith. That goal was even sweeter for Skandalis, considering his penalty kick earlier in the match caught the crossbar and caromed away from the goal.
”The same thing happened last year, against the same goalie (Jones),” he said. “You can’t hang your head, you laugh it off, but then I came back and scored in that game, too.”
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The Patriots took the lead with 20 minutes remaining in regulation when Christian Rugel punched in a cross from Josh Petty, although the Cardinals came back one more time when senior defender Josh Nagy finished a Madore corner-kick cross for the final tie.
Senior Tyler Flynn had Calvert Hall’s best chances to win it before overtime while John Carroll’s Ian Wagner gave the Patriots one last go at securing a victory.
The best opportunity in the first overtime came on Belal’s acrobatic bicycle kick, which would not have counted even if it had gone in because it was deemed a dangerous play.
The Cardinals were clearly fighting to claim their third OT victory of the young season in the final hectic minutes of the second extra session, with Belal’s header finding the post instead of the net and the ball pin-balling in and around Mezzadra before the final seconds clicked off the clock.
”It was disappointing not to get that final goal,” Belal said. “It was a tough game, but we gave a big effort. We could have done a little better, but I think we’re going to be getting back in the groove.”
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”A point is a point, but we strive for three (points),” Calvert Hall coach Rich Zinkand said. “We competed and kept playing.”
With Calvert Hall’s possession-game tactics being blunted by the Patriots, the Cardinals responded with more of a direct approach, Zinkand said.
”We love to possess the ball, but they had numbers in the midfield,” he added.
John Carroll coach Jim Fendryk, a Calvert Hall alum, said that his team was not taking the tie as a win.
”Some of our guys were disappointed after the game,” he said. “We could have been up, 4-0, but we allowed them a lifeline. We responded well after we fell behind and kept pushing up, but they had three opportunities and they cashed in.”
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The Patriots, who have scored a whopping 26 goals this season, are enjoying their fast start in 2022.
Skanadalis said the addition of North Harford transfer Luke Meija has helped to open up the offense.
”We’ve figured things out in the offensive third,” he said.
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