THIRD TRY DOES IN BLUE STREAKS
Bethlehem Central converts on third corner kick, wins 1-0 at Saratoga
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. >> Sometimes it’s not the number of chances but what you do when you get those chances.
Bethlehem Central boys soccer had three straight corner kicks in the late stage of Tuesday’s Suburban Council road trip to Saratoga Springs and the third time proved to be the charm as Jack Burman deflected Salko Kanic’s third try into the back of the net for the 1-0 lead and subsequent victory.
“I had made a great save on the corner kick before that, two before that and you just switch off for one second, your defense switches off for one second and you’re down,” Saratoga Springs goalkeeper Conor Chivers said. “It’s hard, especially after you play the whole game 0-0 and just one little thing and they’re up like that.
“He played a low driver right into the middle of the box and we just had no one on their guy (Burman), he game in, right off his thigh, went straight in.”
While disappointed in the outcome, Chivers said he is one of the biggest cheerleaders for the Blue Streaks as they
charged down into the Eagles end time and again.
“When I’m back there I’m just hoping, screaming, trying out my voodoo curses to see if something works, but I don’ really have a lot of help on the attack,” Chivers said. “Usually if I get a nice punt in, can start a counter attack, but once it gets in the final third I have no shot.”
That offense had a different look as Saratoga was down three starters due to injury and senior captain Tyler Clute had to rely on some help from his friends.
“Sawyer Nicastro played well, Garrett Hedge he stepped up pretty nice,” Tyler Clute said. “Cameron Lebed, he’s not a younger guy, but he stepped up and played a great game. They definitely stepped up and played a big part in the game today.”
The senior leader will have to live with the loss, but it wasn’t a bitter end of game meeting for the Blue Streaks.
“I think we played a good out there, it was a great team effort because we all played with each other, we all had each other’s backs,” Clute said. “I’m not disappointed with the 1-0 loss, they were a good team and we held up against them.”
While Chivers was attempting to call upon some black magic to help Saratoga win, their coach had the fateful premonition.
“Right before the third one I said ‘I don’t like all these corner kicks,’ and sure enough right after I finished saying it, bang,” Blue Streak coach Jeff Geller said. “You give a strong team like Bethlehem three or four corners in a row, they’re going to make you pay and that was it today.”
It goes down as another Suburban Council loss for Saratoga Springs, but Geller is looking at the big picture and the immediate response in Wednesday’s practice before hosting Christian Brothers Academy Thursday afternoon.
“We had some very good moments in the game, moved the ball very well and got ourselves a chance to put a quality shot on frame,” Geller said. “They hit on a lot of talking points we had before the match so I’m happy with that, just that one moment letdown and they killed us on it and made us pay.”
Chivers turned back 13 shots on the afternoon, but the one that got past stung after the final horn.
“I do have a short memory, it helps me a lot in the game,” he said. “I’ve got to move on immediately and CBA is going to be a good one.”