CHS soccer players keep on kicking

CHS goalie Morgan Burger (Photo courtesy Jade Witmer)

 By Jade Witmer, Chronicle staff

A hard kicked ball soared through the air, over the heads of anxious defenders, just past the hands of the goalie and into the back of the net, adding another number onto the scoreboard.

Unfortunately, the Cleveland Rams didn’t have enough of these moments Friday, September 3 to top the Corinth Holders Pirates. They came up just one goal short, losing 3-2 in their first home game of the season. Cleveland was looking to make some improvements during the game, and the coaching staff was optimistic. “We need to stop making so many mistakes,” said assistant coach Bradley Lewis before the game, “I don’t know if we can fix that, but that’s our goal.”

The Rams looked solid at the start, making their first shot on goal within the first minute of the game. Offensively, Cleveland dominated the first half, keeping the ball on the Pirates' side of the field and taking eight shots on goal. Jacob Burton and Nolan Stelzner kept moving the ball up the field every chance they got. Tyler Garner and Rodrigo Gutierrez also helped manage to keep the ball on the opposite side of the field. Great defense by Jesse Olmstead and Cameron Cannady held Corinth to only three shots on goal the whole first half.

The Pirates were not thrilled with their start and came out fighting early in the second half. Within the first two minutes of the second half, Corinth’s offense had put the first point up on the board. The Rams battled back, but couldn’t keep up with the Pirates' offense. Corinth scored again within the first 10 minutes, making the score 2-0. Cleveland was not going to settle with a score like that. They made their way to the other end of the field several times, lead by Burton and Pedro Aviles. The defense did their best, but once again, the Pirates slipped through the Cleveland defense and led the Rams 3-0.

Cleveland quickly retaliated. The offense kicked it into high gear and Aviles put the first point up on the board for Cleveland with 4:05 left in the game. Burton came right back and scored for the Rams, making the score 3-2 in the last three minutes of the game. It was a nail-biter until the end, but the Pirates took home the win.

This wasn’t the first time these two teams had seen each other. In their previous match-up, Cleveland came out on top 4-3 at Corinth. The Pirates came out seeking sweet revenge, and that’s exactly what they got. This game was definitely the first of many rivalry games between the Pirates and the Rams - for many years to come.

What do you think of the Corinth/Cleveland rivalry? Is it, or should it be, bigger than the upcoming West/Cleveland rivalry? Let the Chronicle know! Email us at contact.the.chronicle@gmail.com!