The Chattanooga Christian School Chargers took down the Howard Tech Hustlin’ Tigers varsity soccer team in a back and forth battle that ended at 3-1. Each team came into this early season match looking for a defining win and it wasn’t an easy search. The teams were evenly matched and well coached from the start making it near impossible to find the first goal.
The Chargers kicked off the match with a fluctuating 4-4-2 formation that showed a central attacking midfielder with the primary purpose of seeking out the outside midfielders. From there they would float a cross in and hope to use their height to score. Howard used the same formation as CCS but their gameplan was a lot different. They used their attacking midfielder to float around the field and try to find their striker directly.
The first half was full of back and forth play with little reward to show on either side. Howard held possession and controlled the game using short passes and forcing CCS to chase the ball. The Chargers were able to get the ball out wide but struggled at first to have any success in the box. Their strikers were not in sync and often found themselves out of position.
One major thing that stood out during this game was the height difference in teams. The Charger’s midfield and offense were built big and tall. Unfortunately for the Hustlin’ Tigers this would lead to them conceding the first goal of the game. CCS scored of a corner from Josh Grant that went straight to Lyndon Tucker and there was nobody on Howard’s team that could contest it. After this the half went scoreless ending 1-0.
Howard kicked off the second half and nothing changed tactically for either team. Howard still maintained possession in the middle of the park and CCS attacked the wings with plenty of crosses. Despite Howard being able to control the ball so well, there was no success in the final third and they couldn’t find many looks on goal.
The Chargers found success in their throw-ins from Urban Tucker who had a strong throw. He found the box several times which eventually led to a goal. His throw deflected off the keeper and landed right at Josh Grant’s feet. All he had to do was pass it in and the Chargers were up 2-0.
The rest of the match brought frustration to both sides and there were several complaints about the officiating. This led to five yellow back-to-back including one against CCS’s coach Tyler Robertson. Robertson was not pleased with the official and had plenty to say about it. After this, things calmed down and the game went without a goal until right at the end.
CCS scored one final time with one of the most sensational goals ever scored at a high school level. A corner was taken by JD Patton, from which he curved the ball over the keeper and into the side net. Howard was not prepared for this, and the lack of expectation made the goal possible. Howard was able to respond late with a goal from Joshua Bulls. Bulls had been searching for the net all night but were never lucky enough to find it. This goal was well deserved but, however, it did little to change the outcome. The final score 3-1 with Chattanooga Christian keeping the win at home.
CCS’s head coach Tyler Robertson spoke about the beginning of their season and his expectations for the rest of the year.
“It was a good game. Credit to Howard, they always work hard, and they always give us a tough game. We talk about adversity a lot, so when the boys get out here and show adversity when things are going their way and get three goals off set pieces, it’s always good.” Coach Robertson stated, “We are going into region play next week against Catholic so anytime we can play well and play hard we just keep going in the right direction each day. We are working on building a culture here, family and team first mentality. Every time we step out on the field we just want to be around each other and enjoy each other. If we can continue to do that then there is a lot of potential with this group.”
Howard Tach 0 1 -- 1
Chattanooga Christian 1 2 -- 3
Goal Scorers: Howard- Joshua Bulls; Chattanooga Christian- Lyndon Tucker, Josh Grant, JD Patton.
Assists: Howard- Alan Perez Baltazar; Chattanooga Christian- Josh Grant.
(Email Alex McElyea at alexmcelyea26@gmail.com)