Chattahoochee High School star forward Chris Ryan scored a goal with a little less than a minute and a half remaining in the first overtime period to lead the Cougars past in the second round of the Georgia High School Association Class AAAA soccer tournament on Wednesday night.
The goal was Ryan’s twentieth of the season and broke a 1-1 tie that Marist managed to hold on to for the entire second half, despite a dominant performance by Chattahoochee.
“We were a little shell-shocked to start the game, but then we settled down and the boys fought hard,” said Marist head coach Brendan Murphy. “There’s no shame in losing to a team like [Chattahoochee]. They’re the best team in AAAA - there’s no doubt about that.”
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Chattahoochee (16-3-1) struck first on a goal by midfielder Julian Droege, set up on a cross by right fullback Tucker Coons, just six minutes into the contest. The Cougars controlled the ball for the first twenty minutes and had repeated chances to score, but junior goal keeper Vaughn Moore made several nice saves to keep Marist’s hopes alive.
Then, with 16:36 remaining in the half, Marist lined up for a free kick just across midfield, and the ball was lofted into the box, just in front of the goal. Several players challenged for it, including Chattahoochee’s keeper, who was knocked to the ground, leaving the net open for a brief moment. Marist junior forward Thomas Withorn managed to get free from the crowd and put a clean foot on the ball, tying the match at 1-1.
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That score held up for the remainder of the first half and the duration of the second half despite repeated chances for Chattahoochee. Countless shots fell just wide of the mark as the Chattahoochee fans cheered and groaned, while the Marist crowd simply held its breath.
One particularly close call came on a beautiful play by Cougar midfielder Ammon Lakap, who found himself 12 yards out, with his back to the goal and surrounded by Marist defenders. Unable to find an open teammate, he instead flicked the ball straight up in the air and executed a perfect bicycle kick, striking the ball hard over the head of Moore. But the ball hit the cross bar and Marist was able to clear it away after the rebound.
After regulation play ended in a 1-1 tie, the teams prepared to play two five minute overtime periods, with Marist hoping to make it to penalty kicks, and Chattahoochee looking to end its frustration and find the back of the net. Almost four minutes into extra play, Chris Ryan did just that, one-touching the ball with his left foot from just outside the penalty box, following a hard shot by teammate Kevin Hady that was deflected by Moore.
“They’re a good team,” said Marist senior John Hann. “We started out slow, and they were able to take advantage. Once we made it to overtime we thought we might have a chance to get to PK’s [penalty kicks], but that didn’t happen. We did all we could do.”
Marist ends the season with a record of 15-4-1. Senior captain Agyeman Botchway missed his final game with a broken jaw, but he plans to play next season for the University of Pennsylvania.
Chattahoochee has several seniors who will play college ball next year, but for now, there is still a state championship to play for. “We won a national championship about six year ago,” said head coach Les Meenan. “This team might be better than that one.
”Chattahoochee will host Greenbrier, a 3-1 winner over Houston County, in the state quarterfinals this Saturday, May 7, at 7 p.m.
