Senior Greg Frey approached the penalty mark and bent down. A few Crofton girls giggled in the bleachers. In the dead silence, one could be heard asking, “Did he just kiss the ball?”
Crofton coach Christian Kershaw expects Frey, a baseball player, to be “full of weird superstitions.” Frey, truthfully, didn’t think the kiss did anything. He just prayed the penalty kick would land.
His shirt came off about as quickly as he buried the game-winner in double overtime against formerly unbeaten Chesapeake for a 3-2 win. Frey rushed the bleachers where his classmates pulled him up, his teammates mobbing behind him.
“At halftime, I told them I believe in this group more than anyone I’ve ever coached,” Kershaw said. “They have that belief now.”
The Cardinals historically struggled with tied games. They could never seem to take that next step and finish it. But last week, the very same player proved it could be done — Frey netted the wining goal to down South River in overtime.
It nearly brought Kershaw to tears. He hadn’t been as involved as he’d liked to have been over the last couple years. But when former coach Mike Kozlowski had to step away shortly before tryouts began, Kershaw and his staff took over.
Seniors like Frey feel the tide turned.
“Every single person contributes. It doesn’t matter if they’re as good technically as another,” Frey said. “Everyone gives all their heart.”
Cougars senior Connor Weaver planted a penalty kick in the first two minutes to put his side up 1-0. Chesapeake played as if it never happened.
Defender, midfielder or attack, a Cougar thundered to the ball as if they were trailing in a championship game. A Cardinal hardly had a chance to brush the ball with his foot before a white-clad blur rushed him and forced him to pass off.
That speed transformed the midfield into a thru-lane for the Cougars. The defense drove long balls straight to the spiriting attacks on the other end, ready to test Crofton’s back line.
But that pattern became obvious to Crofton.
“When we have an idea of how a team’s gonna play, we play our style,” Kershaw said. “But if they’re gonna play something as distinct as they did, we have to adjust to that.”
Crofton crunched the midfield, forcing attacks inward or left without any help when the kick sailed to them. The way the Cougars expertly threaded Crofton in the first few minutes unraveled into a tangle, disconnected pieces hacking one-on-one. Everything was a reaction to what Crofton was doing.
“We controlled the game,” Frey said. “[Kershaw] always told us, if they take control, we pack it in.”
As much pressure as Crofton’s attack laid in, it seemed inevitable a goal was coming, especially if it continued into the second half. Gavin Llewellyn made sure it did.
Despite two Cougars haunting his heels, Llewellyn tied the score at 1 just four minutes into the half.
Chesapeake had little offensively to reply with – especially with keeper Cash Schneider (10 saves) proving indomitable between the pipes.
Seventeen minutes after Llewellyn’s strike, Crofton earned a corner kick. Backup Chesapeake keeper Ife Fadele — who stood in for a sick Nate Fincham — stopped the first shot at him but couldn’t react in time for Ryan Wilson’s rebound that made it 2-1.
Chesapeake had yet to trail anyone this season. As it struggled to regain control of the tempo and tackles left the players screaming for calls, frustration crackled. Crofton wasted as much time as it could.
Then, in the dwindling minutes of stoppage time, junior Logan Weaver went down with an injury that sent him off. Schneider absorbed another hard save.
Then came the corner kick.
Connor Weaver aimed his kick right for senior Byron Klohr. The program’s all-time scoring leader headed the tying goal immediately.
The glory of the last-second salvation jolted the Cougars back into form in overtime. They’d proven they could recover. Chesapeake coach Ryan Keeter thinks they’ll do the same going forward.
“Certain losses are better than others,” he said. “Some bring teams together; some tear teams apart. I really think this one will bring us together.”
Have a sports tip? Contact Katherine Fominykh at kfominykh@baltsun.com or DM @capgazsports on Instagram.