MIDDLEFIELD—Cardinal spotted Cornerstone Christian Academy a three goal lead in Tuesday’s non-conference game then rallied behind two Jake Revak second half goals.
The Huskies had several other shots hit the crossbar and fell to the Patriots, 3-2.
“It was a tale of two halves really,” said Cardinal coach Mike Topalian. “We dug ourselves down 3-0. We had a tough game (Monday night) so we had a real short turnaround but I’m so proud of the way they fought from the middle of the first half on. We outplayed them. Tough breaks. You can’t count on all those shots going in but to hit five crossbars is pretty unusual.”
The Huskies, who were without four starters, including goalkeeper Donovan Drebus, never quit.
Revak’s first goal came in the 11th minute of the second half. He chipped in his second two minutes later to cut the CCA lead to 3-2.
“If Jake can just be aggressive like that in every game he could be a special player,” Topalian said. “He’s still only a sophomore so there’s some room for improvement but he’s got some good moves.”
With the momentum in their favor, the Huskies dominated possession in the second half. Unfortunately, their shots on goal were just off the mark.
Trent Mast had two near misses. Jonathan Anderson had one. Revak hit the post.
“We had our chances,” Topalian said. “I’m just proud of everybody. The defensive line held it together after going down three and the midfielders, I thought they controlled the tempo in the entire midsection of the field. Everybody played well. By far, from the middle of the first half on, it was our best effort of the year.”
Alex Hutchinson filled in for Drebus at goalkeeper and sparkled in the second half.
“We lost our starting goalie a couple days back so Alex stepped in on short notice,” Topalian said. “He played a little bit last year, but I’m really proud of him. He played tough.”
Cardinal plays at Harvey on Thursday.
