New Kent forces top-ranked York to earn soccer win

New Kent's Patrick Minor (9) gets to the ball ahead of York's Aaron Reyes in first half action.

Alan Chamberlain photo

York’s Falcons entered Tuesday night’s soccer clash at New Kent as the state’s number one-ranked 3A team, and most likely with an expectation of walking over the Trojans who have yet to experience a win this season. Instead, they encountered a team more than up to the challenge.

As expected, York won, but by a narrow 3-0 count. And with the exception of a penalty kick, the visitors had to earn their other two goals in the face of a stubborn Trojan defense.

Led by goalkeeper Jan Czech, Trojan defenders weathered a 30-shot York attack. Czech, a German exchange student making his first start in goal for New Kent, recorded 14 saves, most in spectacular fashion.

“We wanted to try something different,” said Trojan coach Keith Grant on the decision to start Czech, who usually occupies a forward slot, over regulars Billy John and Justin Cox.

“He’s played goalie before [back home], and it worked out,” the coach said. “The guys on the field played real hard today. To hold [York] to 3-0 is a win for us.

“For once we played our game and kept our composure,” he added. “I told them I’m really proud of them. They played hard, worked together, and didn’t panic. Everybody kept their focus.”

Ten minutes into the contest, Aaron Reyes put the Falcons in front to stay. But the visitors could not make further headway in the first half, coming up empty on a dozen shots leading up to halftime. Czech, meanwhile, stopped half of those attempts.

New Kent managed just five shots for the game, but had an opportunity to tie 10 minutes into the second half. Darren McCaughan found a seam in the Falcon defense to drill a shot, but directly at keeper Jacob Reimers who made his only save of the night.

Three minutes later, York’s Bailey McClure gave his team a more comfortable 2-0 lead. Nearing the second half midpoint, McClure’s penalty shot created the final margin.

New Kent dropped to 0-5 on the season, but Grant said, “This was the best game I’ve seen my guys play. Everything worked out well, and to me, this is a step in the right direction.”