No. 1 Classical ends Toll Gate's season

Matt Metcalf
Posted 11/6/14

Classical High School’s Sam Bush scored with just 6:23 remaining in the second half to upend the Toll Gate boys’ soccer team, 2-1, in the Division II quarterfinals on Monday afternoon.

A goal …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

E-mail
Password
Log in

No. 1 Classical ends Toll Gate's season

Posted

Classical High School’s Sam Bush scored with just 6:23 remaining in the second half to upend the Toll Gate boys’ soccer team, 2-1, in the Division II quarterfinals on Monday afternoon.

A goal by Toll Gate senior Josh Sandin late in the first half put the Titans up 1-0. Toll Gate looked to be in a good position to knock off top-seeded Classical, but two goals late in the second half by the Purple spoiled the Titans’ near upset.

“I thought we competed very well,” said Toll Gate head coach Tim Hayes. “Classical has been the best team in the division just about all year. We scored first and created some chances. Even in the second half, I thought we played a little bit better. We had some guys hurt at the end and it was just a little too much to overcome. But I’m proud of the effort. I have nothing to complain about.”

Each team came out in the first half playing conservative, not taking too many chances, resulting in just four shots on goal total in the first half, two by each team. But it was Toll Gate’s second shot of the half off the foot of Sandin that would put the potential state championship favorite in a hole.

A long ball was played into the box by the Titans’ defense and Sandin, who was all alone against two defenders, got position to win the ball and fired it past Classical’s Noah Kim to put Toll Gate up 1-0.

The Titans’ continued to play a solid game into the second half, but a great shot by Classical’s Austin Clark at the 23:29 mark brought the game abruptly to a deadlock. It looked to be a harmless play from outside the box, but Clark’s shot eluded traffic and got on Titans’ keeper Kyle Brown quickly, beating him to his left.

“He hit a good shot through traffic,” Hayes said. “(Clark) just lined it up and hit it. He hit it low, hard and found a good spot. It got through some legs and it ended up in the back of the net. You just tip your cap to him. It was a great goal.”

The Titans responded well after the equalizer, dominating the next 10 minutes of play. However, they just couldn’t find an answer to regain the lead.

That left the door open for the Purple to steal one late and they did.

Saleem Kamarah and Bush isolated a Toll Gate defender on the left side of the field and, after a great through ball by Kamarah, Bush went in all alone and beat Brown, giving Classical a 2-1 lead with just 6:23 remaining in the game.

“They’re really tough to break through the midfield,” Hayes said. “If we can get a through ball, we’re really dangerous, but they did a great job of locking it down on us. They just have quality players in the middle and so do we, it was an even battle all game long. Late in the game when guys started to slow up and get hurt, they kept the pressure on and were able to slip one through at the end. “

It was a tough end to an overall solid season for the Titans. Toll Gate, which won the Division II championship last year, earned the ninth-seed in the D-II tournament after a 7-7-2 regular season. The Titans then knocked off Mount in the first round before taking Classical, a team that surrendered just two goals in the regular season, to the brink of elimination.

“Classical’s a great team,” Hayes said. “I thought we played them as well as we could. Obviously we would have liked for it to go a different way, but I’m proud of our effort.”

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here