CSAS’s offense led a blitzkrieg over the Community Vikings, 5-1, behind the phenomenal performance by Ethan Regis and an entourage of Patriot scorers.
The Patriots opened their Region 3-A semifinal playoff match against Community (5-6-1), and the Patriots wasted no time handling business in this matchup.
As dominant as the Tom Brady-lead New England Patriots in the NFL, the CSAS Patriots recorded a few goals within the first 21 minutes of play.
The attacks were led mainly by CSAS’s eight-grader Ethan Regis. Regis pushed into the back line of defenders off the opening whistle until retreating back to find his teammates.
Once his teammates began to spread the defenders apart, Regis was able to penetrate the heart of the defense. His shot on goal would be deflected, but luckily lands at the feet of Eliot Nichols. Nichols would strike a floater into the top-left side of the net, 1-0 Patriots within two minutes of kickoff.
After multiple through balls and lob passes, CSAS was awarded a throw-in deep into Viking territory. As the throw traveled into the penalty box, the Community goalkeeper’s aggressive push allowed Eric Chen to tap a backside shot into the net.
With a 2-0 lead, CSAS would ward off multiple Viking attacks. After clearing a Community corner kick, the Patriots would launch a counterattack beginning with CSAS’s Will Hetrick’s throw-in.
Upon the throw-in, Regis would dribble 50-yards as he approached the Viking’s corner flag. Pushing towards the near-post, Regis would scoop a cross over the defenders’ heads. Awaiting the cross was Patriot swing man Diego Altabas. Altabas would land a sliding header— perfectly executed.
“It is not something we working on, but we want Regis and our players to play unselfishly,” said CSAS head coach Wes Castle about the cross and score. “We were working on involving other players and Regis saw he did not have a shot so he chipped it over.”
Both teams would fail a handful of attempts, leaving CSAS with a comfortable 3-0 lead going into intermission.
Coming out of halftime, the Patriots would pick up where they left off in the first half. Three minutes in, CSAS’s Zeke Quattrochi would be the beneficiary of a tussle for the ball off a throw-in. Quattrochi rocketed a ball past the goalkeeper after the teams juggled for possession.
And again, soon after Quattrochi’s score, Regis would dribble past defenders with his blazing speed. With the defenders to his backside, Regis had a one-on-one opportunity and capitalizes by pinging the ball of the left goal post for the goal—capping off his and his team’s excellent performance.
Despite facing a 5-0 deficit, Community would fight to the final whistle, literally, as the Vikings pushed into the penalty area with less than 30 seconds remaining. After a failed slide tackle ended up tripping the Community’s Randy Anica, awarding a penalty kick. Anica would fool the goalkeeper with his left-post shot, which would be followed by the final whistles of the match.
The offensive explosion earned CSAS a 5-1 victory and advancement into the next round of regional playoffs, where they can earn a shot at the state championship.
“I told the team to come out with intensity from the start,” said Castle. “I wanted them to limit their touches because we wanted to keep the ball moving around to open up the attack.”
The Cascade Champions, following their victory over Tyner Academy, will square off against the Patriots for the regional title on Thursday, May 19th, at Cascade.
“Eat well, rest, and drink plenty of water because it is going to be hot tomorrow,” said Castle to his team about the upcoming matchup. “Be ready to come out with intensity from the start.”
SUMMARY
Community 0 1 - 1
CSAS 3 2 - 5
Goals: Community (1): Randy Anica; CSAS (5): E