Wolverines Hold Off Indians for 3–0 Win
It is a maxim in the soccer-verse that a 2-0 scoreline represents the most dangerous lead in the game. Opposition snags a goal back, and suddenly momentum shifts, often ending with catastrophic results. The Wolverine men came face-to-face with the pitfall of a two-goal cushion as they hosted the Chattooga Indians in a must-win region match up Monday night.
Solid first-half play saw DCHS on the board first with a delightfully executed cross and finish with senior Javi Mayo lancing a ball far post where sophomore Kyler Pardue tickled the twine with an intrepid header.
It wasn’t long before the Wolverines doubled their advantage as freshman Joseph Daniel tiptoed the touch line and fed Javi Mayo who slotted home to make it 2-0. Dade went into half feeling confident and self-assured of victory.
Enter hubris. Chattooga was not prepared to go away that easily and came out of halftime with fervor. The Dade boys gave up a soft penalty after a mis-timed tackle in the box. Penalty converted, momentum played its wily game. In a matter of minutes, some lazy defending from the Wolverines saw the Indians bag a second, and just like that the match was tied.
The most dangerous lead had sunk its teeth in, and the match teetered on the brink of disaster for the home side. Unwilling to be outdone by the visitors, the Wolverines awoke from their second-half slumber and once again found their groove in unified build-up play.
With the clock ticking toward the 80th minute, freshman Carter Bradley was able to slip in sophomore Chase Mayo who poked home from a yard out. Dade’s defense thwarted any last-ditch efforts from the Indians with strong right flank play from sophomore Phineas Doe and his counterparts Paul Phillips, Ben Tinker, and Jack Dupree.
An audible sigh of relief sounded with the final whistle, and the Wolverines earned a notch in the win column accompanied by a lesson in lackadaisical play.
Shout out to seniors Braden Johnson, Javi Mayo, Grant Moore, Kade Pardue, Leonard Riby, and Ben Tinker. These young men have served the Dade High soccer program with remarkable integrity and pride over the last four years. You will be missed.