Indy soccer starts season with big win over Chanute at home

Kicking off the 2020 fall fútbol season, Independence High School welcomed Chanute to town on Friday, August 28. The two teams played to a stalemate in the first half, but the Bulldogs had an offensive outburst after the break to pick up win number one over the Blue Comets in a 3-0 victory.

“We switched some things up at half time, because their keeper is good,” IHS Head Coach Max Bradbury said after the match. “We played against those guys this summer in 6vs6 and knew that he could be a problem.” Indy’s issues finding the back of the

Indy’s issues finding the back of the net in the first stanza were not due to lack of chances, as they got off an impressive 13 shots on goal. The ‘Dogs ended up with a 24-2 advantage in attempts, but needed just one to get past the Comet keeper to seal the vic tory. Those halftime adjustments worked

Those halftime adjustments worked like a charm, as shortly into the second half, sophomore forward Jase Mavers found himself with the ball near the top of the goal box, squared up between a pair of defenders and blasted the ball in for the score and the 1-0 lead in the 48th minute.

Independence continued to attack in the second, with senior forward Dominique Mendoza coming up with a goal in the 63rd minute. A cross from the far side trickled through the CHS defense and Mendoza opportunistically settled underneath it, timed the bounce perfectly and hit a mid-air volley into the bottom left corner of the net — past the goalie and a second defender.

Rounding out the scoring in the 67th minute was sophomore Jerry Mattes, after senior striker Caleb Johnston found him from the far sideline amidst a trio of defenders and Mattes took advantage before Chanute’s keeper could track the ball and reset. That score turned out to be the dagger in the 3-0 win, as the Blue Comets pulled their goalie in the final few minutes and the two teams just tried to avoid losing anyone to cramps or more serious injury on the sweltry evening.

The Bulldogs back line, led by seniors Tristen Cushing and Venice Delamarter and sophomores Easton Morris and James Schroeder, challenged the Comets and rarely allowed their opponents to get a free run. Junior keeper Cole Schroeder earned the clean sheet with a pair of saves, whereas Johnston paced the home team with seven shots on goal. Mendoza made the most of his lone shot attempt as he tallied the goal, while Mavers was one for two and Mattes had four shots on goal with one score.

The hosts did get a little overaggressive in a couple o f situations, as Cushing picked up a couple of fouls and drew a yellow card for contact in the first half. Mattes was also given a yellow after jumping in front of the keeper as he was looking to throw an outlet pass in the second half. Fortunately for Indy, the Blue Comets were unable to capitalize on either penalty, and Bradbury can live with hustle plays like that which sometimes go a little too far.

The Bulldogs (1-0) have nearly two weeks off before returning to the pitch at Parsons on Thursday, September 10.