The Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference soccer opener had a little bit of everything — yellow cards, physical play, crisp passing and tackling — when No. 7 Archbishop Curley and 10th-ranked Concordia Prep collided on Wednesday afternoon on hot and sunny Saints Field in Towson.
Much to the delight of Curley coach Barry Stitz, it also had a lot of goals, most of which were scored by the Friars in their satisfying 5-2 victory.
“We haven’t been overly sharp in the preseason,” Stitz said. “So I was looking for some progress. We had some very nice build-ups. When we’re clean on the ball, we’re really good.”
The five-goal effort was due in large part to the team’s biggest player, 6-foot-3, 190-pound senior forward Brady Geho, who netted three scores and added an assist.
The prolific St. John’s commit notched his first goal in the third minute on an assist from junior midfielder Mason Landreth, giving the Friars a short-lived lead after Concordia Prep senior forward Ryan Calheira equalized less than two minutes later on a penalty kick.
However, Geho put Curley ahead for good with 26 minutes remaining in the first half after converting a pass from junior forward/midfielder Tristan Brannock.
Geho, who was also taken down in the penalty area, neatly drilled the ensuing penalty kick for a 3-1 advantage with 29:41 remaining in the second half.
Just when it appeared like the sultry summer weather, with temperatures reaching into the upper 80s, had taken the starch out of the Saints, they cut the deficit to 3-2. Calheira, at the 23 minute mark, stroked a cross to senior midfielder Drey Plummer for the conversion from 15 yards.
That goal caught the attention of Concordia Prep coach Adauto Neto.
“Even down, 3-1, we kept fighting,” he said. “We gave it everything we had.”
Unfortunately for the Saints, Curley was not through and for the only time in the contest, Geho was not involved in the scoring play.
That honor went to speedy freshman midfielder Carter Clark, whose tap-in of a gorgeous diagonal pass from junior midfielder Jason Landreth pumped the lead up to 4-2 with 16:11 left.
Still, the Saints kept looking to get back in it, especially on back-to-back retorts by freshman midfielder Caio Albuquerque, which were adroitly saved by Joe Yakim. The junior Curley keeper had four of his five saves in the second half.
Curley senior defender Matt Lynard missed his chance to make it 5-2 just before senior forward Camden Keller found the net on Geho’s helper with just over three minutes left.
Geho was gung-ho to add to the margin, taking a half-field run on a bevy of touches and finally getting free to take a shot that was smartly smothered by Concordia Prep senior goalie Colton Drought (8 saves) with only a minute to go.
Asked why he put in that kind of effort into a game that was already in hand, he simply stated, “to score more goals.”
After being the second-leading scorer last year, Geho said that he wants to reach the top rung this season.
He also acknowledged that his defense has a lot to do with what he accomplishes in the offensive third.
“It started defensively by winning off their turnovers and mistakes,” he said, crediting the backline.
One of those backs, 5-foot-7 sophomore Nick Lentz, was charged with not only helping to ignite the offense, but to rein in a top scorer like the 6-foot-2, 217-pound Calheira.
When asked about how he works against a larger opponent, Lentz said that he tried to “angle him toward his right foot. If he takes a heavy touch, you go in and make a play — a big tackle.”
“When a guy that size plays hard like that, it sets a tone for the other guys,” Stitz said. “It’s contagious.”
NO. 7 ARCHBISHOP CURLEY 5, NO. 10 CONCORDIA PREP 2
AC 2 3 — 5
CP 1 1 — 2
Goals: AC-Brady Geho 3, Carter Clark, Camden Keller; CP-Ryan Calheira, Drey Plummer.
Assists: AC-Mason Landreth 2, Brady Geho, Tristan Brannock; CP-Ryan Calheira.
Saves: AC-Joe Yakim 5; CP-Colton Drought 8.
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