By Lori Brown
FALLSBURG — October 15, 2010 — Two determined soccer teams played a very competitive game on Tuesday afternoon as the Fallsburg Comets hosted the Eldred Yellowjackets in an Orange County Interscholastic Athletic Association (OCIAA) Division IV contest. 
The fans from both teams were on the edge of their seats, awaiting the outcome of the game. And those fans had to wait a bit longer than usual for that outcome.
With 2:04 elapsed in the second overtime period, senior midfielder Armin Chavez scored an unassisted goal off a corner kick to give Fallsburg a 3-2 win.
“I was aiming for the goal,” Chavez said of taking the corner kick.
“I am happy and I can’t even explain it, I am just happy we won,” he added. “We did a great job.”
Both teams started off aggressively and were strong willed during the entire game.
Fallsburg (6-4, 2-3 Div. IV) took a 1-0 lead with 14:40 gone in the first half as Chavez kicked the ball into the goal cage. Arturo Perez assisted Chavez on the goal.
It wasn’t until 33:57 had been played in the half that Eldred (4-5-1, 0-3-1 Div. IV) came back to tie the score at 1-1. Adrian Krzysztofowicz scored the tying goal with an assist by Matt Bisland.
Going into the second half, the score was still even at 1-1. The Comets came close to scoring a goal midway through the half, but the first shot went right off the top of the goal post and a rebound shot was saved by Yellowjackets’ goalie Travis Steimle.
But minutes later, with 17:31 played in the half, Fallsburg’s Andrew Juarez scored an unassisted goal to give his team a 2-1 advantage.
The Yellowjackets knotted the game at 2-2 a few minutes later, however. At 24:59, the one of the Comets were called for a handball in the goal box. Brian Hazen made the subsequent penalty kick to bring the Yellowjackets even.
Both teams tried the best they could to break the tie in the closing minutes of regulation. But Fallsburg goalkeeper Dustin Foertsch, who had six saves during the game, and Steimle, who finished the match with 10 saves, wouldn’t let any shots past them and the contest went into overtime. The first 10 minutes of overtime went by fast and neither team scored. Chavez took three corner kicks for the Comets during the 10-minute period, but they couldn’t capitalize.
“This game was very evenly played,” Eldred Coach J.J. Gass said. “Our goalie, Travis Steimle, made a lot of saves. He kept us in the game.
“They [Fallsburg] dominated overtime, it was a matter of time before they scored because 90 percent of the time it was played on our half [of the field],” Gass continued. “That was a tremendous shot by Armin Chavez [to win the game].”
The Yellowjackets are slated to host the Tri-Valley Bears this afternoon in a non-league match.
“I’m speechless,” Fallsburg Coach Herb Foertsch said.
“Armin Chavez did a great job, and it has happened once before in the season,” added Herb Foertsch, referring to the Comets scoring a goal directly on a corner kick.
He noted that the Yellowjackets “played great.
“From last year to this year, Eldred stepped up.
“The boys work together and work hard,” Herb Foertsch said of his team. “I am proud of my goalie, Dustin [Foertsch], he hustles and he talks. I see amazing things out there.”
Fallsburg is scheduled to visit Chester this afternoon for a Div. IV game.