
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By Neil Geoghegan
ngeoghegan@21st-centurymedia.com
WESTTOWN – A tie may be inherently unsatisfying. But on Wednesday evening, after visiting Phoenixville and West Chester Rustin battled to a 1-1 non-league boys’ soccer draw in double overtime, both head coaches took away more positives than negatives.
“You obviously want to win, but I am proud of the guys,” said Golden Knights’ head coach Ryan Castle. “I love this group, but when moments got tough last season, we had seniors who were able to step up. Now we have a new crop of youngsters, with a bunch of sophomores and juniors, so they are figuring out how they become the guy to end a game like this.”
Phantom’s head coach Mike Cesarski added: “Our last game I criticized my players because I thought they showed a lack of maturity in moments. Tonight was the complete opposite. It was the kind of mature performance, on the road, in a night game and 90-degree conditions that we wanted to see. We really battled until the final whistle.”
Both sides are gearing up for the start of league play, and surrendering a single goal in 80 minutes of regulation and 20 more in OT is a good sign for the defenses. Rustin is now 1-1-1 overall heading into a big Ches-Mont American clash with Unionville next week. Phoenixville (also 1-1-1) opens its Pioneer Athletic Conference slate next week against Pottstown.
“This is a fairly new team,” said Knights’ junior Aiden Koch. “We are gaining chemistry and improving every game.
“And it wasn’t like we barely scraped out a tie. We could have won this game.”
Trailing 1-0 at the half, Koch got Rustin on the board less than six minutes in by volleying in a corner kick by teammate Brody Dunn. It was the home team’s first of seven corners on the evening.
“I just remember the ball being in the air and I hit it in,” Koch said.
“To be honest, (Rustin’s) goal was kind of fluky,” Cesarski added. “On a set piece the ball kind of bounced around a bit and (Koch) made a good play on the ball.”
Each side had a prime opportunity to take the lead soon thereafter. The Knights’ Jackson Hutsell forced a point-blank save at the 30:26 mark, and about five minutes later the Phantoms’ Brody White got behind the defense, but Rustin keeper Evan Chappell got just enough of the ball to throw off the play.
Phoenixville had two of its four corner kicks in the waning minutes of regulation, but failed to convert. The Phantoms’ Patrick McNamara notched the only shot on goal in the first OT. And with 4:18 remaining in double overtime, a shot by Koch earned the Knights’ the first of two corner kicks down the stretch, but neither resulted in a goal.
“(Phoenixville) was playing very compact (on defense), which is a sign of respect,” Castle said. “In the second half we kind of figured out how to attack them. We had seven corners in the second half and overtime.
“I would say we created the better of the (scoring) chances, but you have to finish to win games. This is a new team, we are creating a new identity. But I thought we put in a good performance against a good Phoenixville team.”
Rustin had a 7-4 edge in corners and a 13-7 advantage in shots on goal.
“Converting chances is something we are working on,” Koch said. “But we are getting the opportunities, which is good. We just need to convert. We need to be more lethal in the box.”
The two squads battled to a scoreless draw until the Phantoms’ Connor Northcott opened the scoring with a goal in the final minute of the first half. The senior got around the corner and his shot was partially knocked down by Chappell, but then it trickled in.
“Connor used his physicality to get around the corner there, and finish for us,” Cesarski said.
Phoenixville’s lone loss this season came in the opener, a 2-1 overtime decision to Great Valley.
“That loss definitely stung, so we didn’t want to have a repeat of that,” Cesarski said.
“We really limited solid, quality scoring chances by (Rustin). I really can’t complain because for a majority of the game, we didn’t let them get anything dangerous in the run of play.”
West Chester Rustin 1, Phoenixville 1 (2 OT)
Phoenixville 1 0 0 0 – 1
W.C. Rustin 0 1 0 0 — 1
Phoenixville goal: Northcott.
W.C. Rustin goal: Koch.
Goalie saves: Lang (P) 12; Chappell (R) 6.