The setting sun cast long shadows during a perfect spring evening at Hanover High School, as rival boys’ soccer teams Atlee and Lee-Davis faced off for some spirited competition in the Capital District finals.  The aggressive match culminated in a 2-1 win for the exhausted No. 3 seed Raiders who held off the rallying No. 1 Confederates in the final minutes of the game.

  For Atlee head coach Steve Thompson the win was the result of a complete team effort.  “Four of my backs played outstanding,” he said. “They worked hard in the midfield, and when we got up top, we were dangerous.  Ryan Boothe came up with a lot of energy.  Our keeper (Michael McCabe) came up huge three or four times in the game; so it was a team win.”

  As many anticipated, the rivalry game began with both teams testing the limits of the referees on calling fouls, and numerous yellow cards made their appearance early as play progressed.

  “These two teams have played each other and they know each other real well,” said Lee-Davis head coach Ed Kidder. “So, really, the team that was going to play hard was going to most likely come away with the match.  And, in the beginning, both teams were playing hard.”

  As a result, ten minutes into the first period, the dreaded red card came out against Lee-Davis when a player reacted verbally on the heels of an Atlee foul which also drew a yellow card for the Raiders’ player. This put the Confederates down a man for the remainder of the game.

  “I think it’s unfortunate that the guy got the red card so early,” McCabe said. “I don’t know exactly what happened; but Lee-Davis still gave pressure and I give my hat off to them, because even at the end, they still kept pushing.  Yeah, people were saying curse words and angry at each other.  It was a high intensity game.  Cards were flying, and that’s expected in a championship game; but I’m glad we came out with a win.”

  Because of the roughness of play, some injuries ensued, including Lee-Davis senior Eduardo Lopez who was named Capital District Player of the Year. Lopez left the game for about six minutes early when he was tripped from behind then later took a knee to his kidney area during a second period collision at goal, which ended his play for the evening. 

  But as play progressed, penalties subsided somewhat.  “[With us a man down] the field was a little more spread out,” Kidder said. “Atlee could sit back and play defense; and the midfield had a little more space.  So, you’re going to have less fouls when you have more room to work.”

  Despite the shift in power, the Confederates held their own, managing only to give up two goals: the first on a penalty kick sixteen minutes into play by senior Shane Atkins and the last in the final minutes of the first period by junior Jordan Boothe. Boothe poked one in past C-fed sophomore keeper CJ Stevens immediately after Stevens had deflected a shot on goal from Raiders’ senior Ian Shelton. 

  Throughout the game, Thompson largely stuck with his Riader starters and used few substitutions. “We carry large numbers,” he said. “A lot of times we don’t get as many in as we’d like to get in.  But, if it’s working, don’t fix it.  That’s my motto.”

  In contrast, on the other bench, Kidder, who was named Capital District Coach of the Year, frequently substituted players. Among them was freshman Chris Kunca, who turned in an impressive performance by reading plays and being Johnny-on-the-spot at key points in the game.  “He’s an amazingly smart player for his age and of course tactically is a great player,” Kidder said.  “Yeah, we’re looking forward to having him play three more years.”  Kidder also praised the play of Stevens in goal.

  After finishing third in the district during the regular season, Thompson likes the way his Raiders are playing heading into regionals. “We’re healthy; we have everybody,” he said.  “I’m hoping that we’re hitting our stride.  This season we struggled because earlier, with the rain and everything going on, we just never clicked.  So we’ve started to click over the last three or four games and I’m hoping that we just carry that into the Regionals.”

  As for the C-Feds, they face an added challenge. As a consequence of the red card the Confederates will also have to play a man short going into their first game of Regionals. “That’s going to be a big loss, he won’t be able to play the next game,” Kidder said. “We’ll just going to have to cover for him.  A couple of younger players we’re going to call up; and just like Chris (Kunca) tonight, sometimes they really do come through.”

Atlee ........................................... 2 0 — 2
Lee-Davis…................................ 0 1 — 1
Saves: McCabe (A) 10; Stevens (L-D) 10
Records: Atlee 9-4-2; Lee-Davis 11-4-1