Kennedy defeats Wheaton 7-3

By Kyle Wannen
For DigitalSports.com

When his team was tied 1-1 against Wheaton during Wednesday's game, Kennedy midfielder Thao Nguyen found a very unusual way to spark his team.

A rebound bounced right to the middle of the offensive zone near the goal and Nguyen went to scoop up the ground ball as two defenders and the opposing goalie came to hit him. Before they could make contact, Nguyen shoveled the ball between his legs and past the oncoming goalie to give his team the lead which they never gave up as the Cavaliers defeated Wheaton 7-3.

"A lot of things were going through my mind because people were coming to try to hit me but luckily I just put it in," Nguyen said. "That was one of the craziest goals I've ever had. I'll try anything if it works."

"Thao is creative," Kennedy coach David Gonzalez said. "He enjoys doing little things and you never know what he's going to do and it's the one time of the year that it actually works. If it goes in you can't complain too much."

Nguyen also scored the next goal with a wicked shot from outside to give the Cavaliers (2-10) a lead they would not relinquish. The big rivalry between the two teams was shown with big hits and physical plays in the sloppy conditions as rain poured constantly.

Throughout the game Kennedy had a very balanced attack from their midfielders and attackmen, something that has been a rarity this season.

"This year it's been rough to score," Gonzalez said. "We've had a lot of problem finding the back of the net but pretty much what we've been saying since the beginning of the year is the more we shoot, the more chances we have to get it in."

Midfielder Zach Eiser scored first to give the Cavaliers an early lead and he finished with two assists in the second half. Attackman Karl Saliente scored two goals in the second half as did fellow attackman John Kronopolus, who cashed in two wide-open opportunities in front of the Wheaton net.,

""I've been looking to pass a lot but why shouldn't I shoot?" Kronopolus said. "You got to go for it, you know?"

"It's great we have two juniors and a sophomore who can all score which bodes very well for the future," Gonzalez said.

Cavaliers goalie Matt Farrar also had a terrific game with a number of clutch saves to keep his team ahead almost the entire game.

Wheaton (2-9) received all their scoring from midfielder Sam Tripoulas who netted a hat trick with a goal in the first half and two in the second half.

"Playing against Kennedy, it's always like a good rivalry game and it always gets physical," Knights coach Oscar Amaguana said.