Northside Christian Academy

DDS gutted through a game in extra time with a win over Northside Christian, 2-1. They say the mark of a good team is finding a way to win ugly. Yesterday, was an ugly win, in just about every aspect of the game, no matter where you were sitting. But, we’ll take the win. Northside had some good athletes but they were still trying to find a style of play, much like a “pusher” in tennis. Our guys struggled to get any continuity going on the transition from offense to defense. Watching the video of this game is going to be interesting, and take some courage :). The game was tied until about 10 minutes into the second half when NSC scored on a breakaway after an offsides, no call. DDS responded with 20 minutes remaining in the game when Caleb Tate hit a long beautiful pass to Dylan Binley, who set the ball and fired one past the diving goalie. After that, the game was pretty much one sided, but unfortunately we couldn’t find the back of the net. NSC was just hanging on, frankly, trying to get to penalty kicks. The game went into overtime, same song, second verse- missed opportunities and very strange calls, (or no calls). Until with 2 minutes left in the game, Mark Breunig found a channel through the back line to Lance Fenderson who pushed the ball with the outside of his foot past the goalie. It was a thing of beauty. Man of the Match: Lance Fenderson… he found a way to end the game on a simple and eloquent touch. The bench… We ran a short bench for this game and I can’t tell you how impressed we are with the engagement and attitude of the boys. We know they are waiting for their number to be called, but the fact that they were positive and excited, despite not playing much, or at all, tells you about their character and dedication. We have built this program on trust, loyalty and respect, and these boys have clearly embraced this foundation. We are so proud to be their coaches.