Needing nonstop pressure and hustle, the Panthers outplayed the Mustangs early, but with the exception of a few players, they lacked the hustle they had hoped for. Junior Tyler Mashaw was all over the field at the stopper position in the first half and gave the Panthers the spark they needed. Six minutes into the game, the Panthers had a corner kick cleared by a Mustangs defender. The ball went all the way back to sweeper Simon Day who played the ball up to Joe Van Allen. Van Allen centered the ball which was eventually finished by Timm Novine for an early lead.
The game remained even until the 24th minute when Hunter Phillips sliced from sideline to the middle of the field and fired a low left-footed shot to the right corner past an outstretched Steve Oleynek. It took just another five minutes for the Panthers to strike again, this time after a hand ball in the box by Cairo. Andrew Knight calmly finished the set piece to put the Panthers back in front. As the half continued, the Mustangs yet again evened the score. This time a Panther defender gave the ball up at the top of the box, and Freedman burst through and finished past Oleynek. Just a short while later Oleynek charged to make a save and had a Mustang forward land on him, forcing him out of the game. Hayden Crellin, who started in goal for the Panthers for most of the season, was called back into duty and came through.
Crellin made five stops in the second half as the Panthers took control in a game that, going into halftime, looked like it could go either way. In the 67th minute, a Panther defender sent the ball into the box, and Novine sprinted in to keep the ball in play. With the keeper charging, Novine touched the ball middle, where Joe Van Allen put it away for a 3-2 lead. Five minutes later, Marley Carroll crossed the ball to Van Allen who put it away for his second goal of the contest.
With a two-goal lead, the Panthers seemed in great shape, but Phillips connected with Freedman for another goal to make things interesting down the stretch. The Panthers held on in the final minutes to escape with the victory a share of the league title. Crellin made five stops in the second half for the Panthers, while Oleynek stopped one. Cory Gransbury made twelve stops in goal for the Mustangs on sixteen Panther shots, while Cairo fired eight on goal.
The victory leads the Panthers into sectional play where they are seeded second in Section II Class B. The Panthers are arguably playing their best soccer of the year right now, having just defeated Maple Hill and the Mustangs.
SAVE ON A CHATHAM SHOT
CAIRO-DURHAM GOALIE SNAGS A CHATHAM CORNER
