By Ted Waddell
FALLSBURG — September 27, 2002 – Soccer is a heads up game that you play for keeps.
In Tuesday’s non-league boys’ varsity soccer match between the homestanding Fallsburg Comets (3-2) and the Eldred Yellowjackets (3-4), it was tied 3-3 at the end of regulation play.
In the wake of a couple of yellow-carded 10-minute overtime periods, the Comets came out on top, 4-3.
In opening half of play, Bakarry Ceesay put the first goal on the scoreboard for Fallsburg at 7:24 as he scored unassisted.
At 24:30, Cessay put another one into the Eldred net on an assist by Kourtney Frasier.
Devin Weyant got the Yellow jackets back in the game by scoring with 48 seconds remaining in the first half.
At 1:51 in the second half, Weyant scored on a penalty kick to tie it up at 2-2.
Jon Hinton put the Comets back in the driver’s seat on a penalty kick at 10:58 to make it a 3-2 contest.
At 21:58, Weyant fired his hat trick goal of the afternoon, thus forcing the game into an extra period as the match was tied 3-3 at the final buzzer of regulation play.
In the hard-fought OTs, the referees were taking no guff from anybody, handing out yellow cards like confetti on a windy day. The officials gave three yellows to the Fallsburg booters and one to the Eldred squad.
At 6:28 in the second overtime period, Ceesay iced the game for the Comets when he scored his third goal of the afternoon. Brendan Pantel assisted on the game-winning goal.
“It was an evenly matched game all the way,” Eldred Coach Roger Weyant said. “I thought this was going to be a rebuilding year, but we’ve been in every game and the kids are playing tough.”
His prediction for the rest of the season?
“I think we’re going to go way over .500 and make the sectionals,” Weyant commented.
Yellowjacket goalkeeper Jimmy Nieke, 16, is in his third year playing varsity soccer at Eldred.
“We played a good game,” said Nieke, who recorded 16 saves in the match. “We didn’t have our regular center fullback today, so I had to play out a lot more, and they got off some shots I just couldn’t get to.”
Fallsburg Coach Paul Marsden called the game “very physical” on both sides of the field.
“Eldred didn’t give up,” he said. “They kept right at us, and gave us everything we could handle.”
“Anytime that a team takes you to the 100-minute mark, that tells you it’s anybody’s game,” he added.
According to Marsden, the game against Eldred marked the first time this season that his soccer squad has been up to full strength.
Lionel White anchored the goal cage for the Comets. Throughout the game, he robbed the Yellowjackets of some almost certain goals.
“I like a physical game,” said White, who finished the match with 15 saves. “We played a good game, but we have a few kinks to work out.”
White declined to elaborate on his views of areas that need some improvement for fear of tipping off the opposition. He said he’d rather meet them head-on in the goal.
“All we have to do is work as one unit,” he added.