By HUNTER O. LYLE
RANDOLPH, NY – The cliché goes: revenge is a dish best served cold. For the Portville boy’s soccer team, cold was just the start, but the end was the Panthers taking down Randolph 2-0 for the Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Division 2 league title.
The Panthers (10-1-2 overall, 8-1-0 in league play) and the Cardinals (12-2-1 overall, 8-1-0 in league play) had met once before. In that meeting, on Wednesday, Sept. 25, Randolph snuck out a 3-2 win and took control over CCAA Division 2. However, in the handful of weeks since that meeting, the Panthers have been building momentum, collecting four consecutive wins as they eyed another shot at Randolph. The fact that it would also come as an opportunity to win a league title only made it sweeter.
“Going in, we obviously knew this was going to be a big game,” said Portville head coach JJ McIntosh. “We knew a lot was at stake within the league and we knew they were a tough team.”
Through the first ten minutes, the game was contained to midfield, with neither team able to break through each other’s defenses. After adjusting to the cold and getting the blood flowing, the respective offenses began to open up, producing several strikes towards the nets. While neither the Panthers nor the Cardinals made meaningful advances, a trip downfield in the eighth minute produced a Portville corner kick.
Following the cross, the ball bounced between the chaos but eventually found Garrett Reynolds who sent a shot down the middle. Although it was initially saved, the ball slipped away from Randolph’s goaltender and into the net, putting the Panthers up 1-0 early.
Randolph stormed back with a vengeance. In the next few minutes, the Cardinals built up pressure with back-to-back free kicks and a pair of corners. As they peppered Portville’s goalkeeper and made mad dashes close to the net, it was obvious that the Panthers were pushed to their heels.
As the first half wound down, the Cardinals were desperate to ride out their momentum and find one shot that would connect. However, it never came, leaving Randolph to hopefully resume the attack after the 10 minute intermission.
“It was just kind of a matter of getting through it and then regrouping at that point,” said McIntosh. “We found ourselves under heavy attack through a kind of one big ball played in. Once we were able to help, we were trying to make sure our back four kept the ball in front and then help defense where our wingers are dropping in, our mids are dropping in and then we were collectively defending the two with six instead of one-on-one.”
The Cardinals seemed to have no problem amassing the same amount of pressure in the opening minutes of the second half. For the majority of the first 20 minutes, the Cardinals lived rent free on the Panthers side of the pitch. Constantly slashing through the defense and finding lanes to the net got Randolph 90 percent of the way there, but they seemed to be one completed pass away from tying the game. Time after time, they would open a window only to have the final touch slip from their grasp, leaving them to restart the process after the Panthers frantically cleared the ball.
Despite the pressure forced upon their opponents, the constant hustle eventually began to wear on the Cardinals. Tired legs lead to weaker and more inaccurate passes as well as slower rotations on defense, giving Portville an opportunity to relieve the tension. In the 62nd minute, Brady German ripped a shot from 40 yards out, a bullet that threaded its way through the crowd and past the Cardinals goalkeeper. After handling nearly 30 minutes of an all-out Cardinals assault, the Panthers finally had some breathing room.
In the minutes immediately following the Panthers’ second goal, Randolph continued to push the tempo with aggressiveness. However, as the clock approached single digits, the outcome became clear and inevitable. Portville had not only avenged their sole league loss, but had also claimed the Division 2 championship.
“That’s a tough team right there. Well coached and they’re much improved from last time,” said McIntosh, “but I can’t be any more proud of my guys and their effort to stick it out. They battled through getting dominated for a good portion of the first half but we weathered it and got through.”
Portville has just one more game left on their regular season schedule, a rematch with non-league Olean on Friday, before they take their place in the postseason bracket. While they might be riding a wave now, the Panthers know nothing will come easy once they enter the playoffs.
“We need to get through Friday. I’m not trying to dismiss Friday but we realize that there are bigger fish to fry, bigger picture,” said McIntosh. “This is the hardest C bracket since I’ve been coaching. It’s very possible to have upsets in the first round and I think that any of those teams can make a run.”
