The Bishop Fenwick boys soccer team (2-8-1) tied the Shamrocks of Bishop Feehan (7-2-3) on Wednesday evening, 1-1, at Fenwick High School.
The Crusaders’ Tyler Mullen played the role of the hero for Fenwick, creating fastbreak chances on several occasions, and finding the back of the net himself to tie the game in the second half.
Both teams traded possessions early. There was no “feel out” process at all as Feehan sent a quick shot on goal just a minute in. Fenwick goaltender Danny Rowan dove right to left, however, scooping things up.
Feehan’s Jon Mignacca used his long strides to his advantage minutes later, receiving a long lead pass before shooting on goal – missing just high.
The Shamrocks held a clear size advantage, and it showed early on as they were able to box out Fenwick’s players and back them down. They were also the more vocal team during the opening half.
The first solid chance for Fenwick came in the 32nd minute with Mullen finding space and ripping a shot towards the side of the goal that rolled just wide. Their next chance came six minutes later with Allen Karabina corralling the ball against Shamrock defenders, pivoting his foot, and rolling a shot on the keeper who smothered it.
Later on, Mullen would then make his presence felt in the midfield, outworking his Feehan opponent in a one on one matchup despite being undersized – earning an applause from the Fenwick faithful.
The visiting Shamrocks would strike in the 15th minute courtesy of sophomore Zach Caise who headed a ball that initially looked too slow to cause trouble, but Rowan was out of position before seeing the ball roll past him.
Feehan controlled the time of possession in the first half and got quality shots off. Although, very little of them tested Rowan in net, and many were sent out of play.
The Crusaders’ Ben Beader drew some claps from the crowd towards the end of the half, dribbling his way through multiple defenders and using his speed to gain entry.
A golden Feehan chance came towards the waning moments of the half, with captain Jimmy Fasy receiving a pass in stride. However, he shot the ball high – much to his own frustration.
The halftime score read 1-0 in favor of the Shamrocks, with Fenwick putting little to no pressure on the offensive side of the field.
The second half was a different story, however. Fenwick came out – seemingly invigorated – to cause lots of trouble for the Shamrocks.
“We were a lot more physical tonight, which showed,” Mullen said.
Mullen, once more, got a rise from the bench after deking his way through a defender – leaving an opponent looking at his backside. Mullen couldn’t quite keep the ball in the offensive zone, however.
To their credit, Feehan bounced back, and their second half success again came from Fenwick overpursuing on defense. On multiple occasions, Feehan players would wait until a defender approached them, then dribble quickly to the left or right – leaving the opposition guessing which way.
Mullen brought the crowd to its feet in the 27th minute, getting a breakaway and firing a shot into the net to even things, 1-1. A passionate team celebration followed.
“It’s exciting to score a goal against a top team in our league,” Mullen said. “I definitely had to work for that one.”
Caise, who scored the game’s opening goal for Feehan, nearly snatched the lead back with a right-footed shot to the bottom right of the goal, but Rowan dove to make a great save.
Fenwick outplayed the Shamrocks in the final minutes, but Mullen’s equalizer would be the last ball that found twine in this game. The tilt would end with a 1-1 tie on the scoreboard.
Earlier this season, Feehan defeated Fenwick by a score of 5-1. According to Head Coach Julius Pertillar on why this game was different, it’s all about having more experience.
“The difference between this game and last game is just the development of my young players, simple as that. Training, just going through development, and going through the process of the game,” Pertillar said.
Fenwick’s next game is a road one against Bishop Stang on Tuesday, Oct. 11 at 4:00 p.m. where they look to get back into the win column.
Joey Barrett can be reached at [email protected]
