Downingtown East, Unionville battle to 0-0 double OT draw

EAST MARLBOROUGH >> A tie may be like kissing your sister, as the adage suggests. And it isn’t just true about football, the sport where the saying originated.

A draw is definitely better than a loss, however, according to both sides following a 0-0 double overtime decision in boys’ soccer action between Downingtown East and host Unionville. The Cougars and Longhorns battled through a total of 100 minutes of scoreless action on Tuesday, which adds even more uncertainty into the race for the Ches-Mont title.

“It’s crazy – it shows just how equal a lot of these teams are in this league,” said Unionville head coach Rich Garber.

East head coach Tom Creighton was suspended for the contest after receiving a red card over the weekend in a 1-0 non-league triumph over Wilson. The Cougars, however, kept their unbeaten streak alive at seven in a row, and are now 7-2-1 in the league (11-3-1 overall).

“We are dealing with a little bit of adversity,” said assistant coach Jason Tavaras. “It’s not easy for these boys, at such a young age, to play this game missing their head coach. So to come into a hostile environment and put in 100 minutes of work – we are disappointed we couldn’t finish off a couple chances, but we are proud of the effort.”

Number three in the latest District 1 4A Power Rankings, East remains in first place in the league (in the loss column) along with West Chester Rustin (6-2) and either Downingtown West or West Chester Henderson, who played late Tuesday evening. The ’Horns are now 5-3-1 (9-4-1 overall), and have strung together six consecutive shutouts.

“We haven’t given up a goal since (Sept. 20),” Garber pointed out. “Our losses have been to three of the top-10 in the district (Henderson, Rustin and Downingtown West).

“I don’t know if we have a chance to win the league at this point, but we are going to try to make it interesting.”

In a very physical battle, the Cougars had an edge in shots on goal (12-5) and a slight edge in corner kicks (5-4). But it ended up dual shutouts for East rookie keeper Jack Kelly and Unionville goaltender Justin Teufel. Both are seniors.

“I thought Justin played a great game in goal,” Garber said. “He made three or four outstanding saves that kept us in the game.”

For Kelly, it’s been a whirlwind several months.

“This is my third month in goal and I am very happy that I can make an impact on this team,” he said. “Until this summer I had never played soccer in my life.”

Kelly was recruited to join the team by friends – and East’s tri-captains — James Blake, Matt Comber and Cooper Waters. Kelly is tall, can jump, and has a wide wingspan, and they thought he’d make a good goalie.

“They convinced me to play, and I thank them every day,” Kelly said. “I never even thought about it before, but I am just a springy, lanky basketball player. They thought I could do well at the job.”

Kelly was much less busy than Teufel as the Longhorns did not register a shot on goal until the 33:30 mark of the second half, on a shot by Luke Jackson that was stopped by a diving Kelley.

Blake had the only prime scoring chance in the opening half, but his shot about 10 minutes in bounced off the far post. Down the stretch of regulation, the Cougars had a trio of scoring opportunities – blasts by Fenton Malowo and Blake, and a header off a corner kick by Joe Ryan – but Teufel was there each time.

“We didn’t play perfect (defensively) but we battled very hard,” Teufel said.

“I have a great backline of four in front of me, and they are helping me out. We are very appreciative that we didn’t allow any goals.”

In the first OT, Unionville’s Barclay Wilson got off a shot off a corner kick, but Kelly gobbled it up. The ’Horns also had a couple chance to end it in double OT, with the first coming on a header by Luis Colmenares Bittar off a corner kick that sailed just over the crossbar. The other was a point-blank shot by Drew Fedor that Teufel handled.

“East is very well organized in the back, and we didn’t figure it out until towards the end (of regulation), but by then we were running out of steam,” Garber said.

“Unionville has been very potent offensively, but I’d say our back four is probably one of the strongest that we’ve had,” Tavaras added.

“Leaving with a clean (defense) sheet is always important. We are strong defensively and that’s the way we preach the game. Anything can happen in the game and it could hinge on one bad bounce. Nothing is guaranteed.”

Despite being a newbie, it didn’t take long for Kelly to understand that, at least this fall, the Ches-Mont race is very unpredictable and very competitive.

“It’s too bad we couldn’t get the win today, but we are on to the next,” he said. “The Ches-Mont is one of the most competitive leagues in the state, and every game is a bloodbath.

“Today’s (match) was difficult. The head coach sets the tone, so the players take on the coach’s emotions and mindset. We were missing that a little today. (Creighton) is a fighter.”

Downingtown East 0, Unionville 0 (2 OT)

Downingtown East                         0 0 0 0 — 0

Unionville                                         0 0 0 0 — 0

Goalie saves: Kelly (DE) 5; Teufel (U) 12.