Overtime Cannot Break Tie Between Chatham and Whippany Park

WHIPPANY PARK – A physically played match between Chatham and Whippany Park ended in a tie Saturday afternoon, as overtime couldn't break the deadlock between the two teams.

Officials had a lot to handle throughout the entire game while players engaged in a battle that was hard to keep under control. Early in the first half, Chatham senior Conor Goepel's aggression led to two fouls committed against the Wildcat goalkeeper. He followed two balls played into the box and bumped the goalie twice in the air and was called for it both times.

The first half featured nearly equal possession as neither team gained momentum. Each team had a lot of chances, but none came to fruition. Outside of Goepel, no Chatham player really looked to shoot throughout. "In the first half, we weren't really playing our own game," said junior captain Thomas Stephan. 

The game became more emotional in the second half and the rough play extended into the stands. Fans from both teams became outraged with the referees, who were trying to maintain order in such a rough game.

The game's first goal came midway through the half, as Whippany Park was kicking it around inside the box and eventually had a one-on-one with Chatham goalie Brian Ballard.

After that goal, the Cougars realized they needed to pick it up. "We really turned it on. Things were just on a different level, intensity wise," Stephan said. He was involved in an altercation with a Whippany Park player, whose lack of awareness led to Chatham's tying goal.

The Wildcats were complaining for a foul to be called as the game was still going on. Chatham senior Dylan Tencic took the ball down the wing and found Stephan for a goal, right through goalie Mike Ceqveira's legs. "[My players] stopped playing because the whistle blew," according to the Whippany Park head coach.

Two yellow cards were given to each team after the first half. One of Chatham's came when Tencic got a delay of game penalty. As the Wildcats were trying to sub in a new thrower, they put the ball down and waited for the new player to come pick it up. Twice they did this, and both times, Tencic decided to kick the ball back further to the spot that he thought the ball went out of bounds. He was carded after his second effort.

Chatham head coach Gene Foca seemed to think that there should have been more cards given. "I've never heard so much yelling from one side with no cards given to the bench or the players," he said to the officials after the game. He thought the complaining from the players deserved reprimanding. Clearly both coaches were unhappy with the way the referees handled the game.

The second half ended in a 1-1 tie. Both overtime periods were played much like the first half in that both teams got a lot of chances and could not put them away. The intensity from the second half died down and neither team could gather enough to change the outcome.

Ceqveira finished with 6 saves for the Wildcats, and could be largely contributed with saving the game. Whippany Park is now 0-1-1 on the season.

Ballard only faced four shots the whole game, and was able to save three of them. Chatham will play Dover at home on Monday at 3:30 p.m.