October 25, 2007 Issue                                       

©2007 The Chestnut Hill Local

CHC men’s soccer falls to Holy Family
by TOM UTESCHER

CHC senior Jeff Lewin takes control of the ball over Holy Family University’s Ed Szambelak. For more photos visit www.chlocalphotos.com. (Photo by Jimmy J. Pack Jr.)

The visiting Tigers of Holy Family College built upon a 1-0 halftime lead  at Chestnut Hill College last Thursday, returning to Northeast Philly with a 3-0 victory and a 6-2 record within the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference.

For the host Griffins, who got 13 saves from freshman goalie Duhan Malali, the setback leveled off their record both for the month of October (3-3), and the season overall (7-7-2). CHC, which just moved to NCAA Division II and joined the CACC this year, slipped to 1-6 in conference play.

“We just played a team that was fitter than us and stronger than us,” first-year coach Seamus O’Connor said after the match. “When you’ve got those two things, it makes for a long day.”

The Griffins will finish out their regular-season schedule with three road games, so Thursday’s match marked the final home field appearance for CHC captain Jeff Lewin and fellow seniors Mike Kuch, Mike Ritter, and Brandan Saylor.

Thanks in part to strong play in the net by Malali, only the Griffins  found themselves down one goal at halftime, despite being outshot by the Tigers, 17-1. With six minutes and 21 second elapsed, Sean Hordijenko deposited the only goal Holy Family would need for the victory.

CHC needed to start strong in the second half, but instead, it was the Tigers who attacked right off the opening whistle. Hordijenko sent the ball up into the box for teammate Matt Kocher, who made it a 2-0 game just 22 seconds into the new period.

The visitors controlled the ball for much of the second half, with occasional counterattacks by Chestnut Hill adding at least a little interest for the home fans. One of the more promising charges came about a dozen minutes into the second stanza, but it ended with a through pass that was hit just a little too hard, allowing HFC keeper Ben Roller (one save) to scoop up the ball before Griffin forward Andrew Thorne could reach it.

Holy Family added a second insurance goal with 22:57 left to play. The Tigers slipped the ball over the 18 to Jim Latronica, who was allowed a few touches that enabled him to line up a successful shot on Malali. CHC’s freshman goalie made a great diving stop with 16 minutes remaining, winding up on the ground with most of his body over the goal line, but with his arms – and the ball – outside the stripe. He faced a total of 32 shots, while the Griffins got off five of their own.

Part of the problem, Coach O’Connor explained, was the way his players reacted to Holy Family’s reputation as a well-established Division II team.