Boys soccer: Chesterton hands Andrean first loss of season
By Dave Melton Post-Tribune correspondent September 10, 2012 11:00PM
Updated: October 12, 2012 6:18AM
MERRILLVILLE — Perfect execution on a corner kick and all-around team speed helped Chesterton hand Andrean a 1-0 defeat—the 59ers’ first loss of the season.
“They are, unquestionably, the fastest team we’ve played,” said Andrean (8-1-1) head coach Pete Reist. “Not just one or two guys, either.”
The game’s first half did not present many opportunities for either side, although the 59ers started to build momentum as the match approached halftime.
“We had some chances in the last ten minutes of the first half,” added Reist. “If we were going to get on the board, maybe that would have been our time.”
After Andrean missed out on their chance to seize the lead, Chesterton (6-3) took full advantage of a corner kick just three minutes into the second half. Kody Lobsiger launched the ball into the box and Jonathan Blake got his forehead on it, re-directing it into the top-right corner of the net for a goal.
“It wasn’t really a set play,” Blake said of the goal. “I just saw the ball and flicked it into the corner. Kody and I have been playing together for years; we mix really well together.”
Later in the half, Chesterton head coach Jamie Sensibaugh pulled most of his attackers back, as the Trojans focused on protecting their one-goal lead. The maneuver worked, as Trojans’ goalkeeper Caleb Gmyrek needed to make only three saves in the contest. His biggest save came in the last minute, when he stopped 59er Matt Anderson’s drive from 15 yards.
“Winning the 50/50 battles were big for us tonight,” said Sensibaugh. “Those had to be won by us tonight against a good team like Andrean. “
A shutout was a welcome change for Sensibaugh and the Trojans.
“Unfortunately there have been three games this season that we’ve played well in but had some breakdowns defensively,” he said. “We got some things cleaned up and I couldn’t be more proud of our defense tonight.”
