ARVADA — Chatfield ended a 2-game losing streak in dramatic fashion Thursday night at the North Area Athletic Complex.
The Chargers defeated Golden — No. 10 in the Class 4A boys soccer CHSAANow.com rankings — 4-3 in double-overtime.
“They got a result that they deserve after a lot of games where we conceded and then come back,” Chatfield coach Brock Blume said of the Chargers taking a 3-0 lead before the Demons battled back to force overtime. “The shoe was on the other foot tonight.”
Chatfield senior Sam Kemmer drew a penalty kick with 28.5 seconds left in the second 10-minute overtime period. Kemmer got a long feed from senior Owen Mahlik. A trio of Golden defenders tried to stop Chargers’ leading goal scorer from getting into position, but the official called a foul on the Demons in the goal box to give Kemmer the PK.
“I was just thinking about running as fast as I can,” Kemmer said of his thoughts during the play the resulted in the penalty kick. “I knew Owen was going to play the ball. Honestly, it was just a great ball from him.”
Kemmer’s kick from the mark was initially stopped by Golden senior goalie Jacob Laubhan, but Kemmer was able to get the rebound and put it past Laubhan with 26.5 seconds left on the clock for the game-winning goal.
“He (Laubhan) read me right away. You can never expect the keeper to save it,” Kemmer said. “I saw that he saved it, but was able to get it back and score.”
Chatfield bench stormed the field to mob Kemmer.
“It was just kind of a rollercoaster of a game,” Kemmer said. “I got a yellow card and had to settle myself down. It was just a hard-fought win.”
The game featured plenty of cards in a physical second half. Chatfield senior Max Craig was given a red card in the 48th minute that forced the Chargers to play a man down and allowed Golden to mount some good offensive pressure.
Golden senior Rowan Messina had a brilliant shot that he bent into the top corner of the net in the 49th minute to get the Demons on the board, cutting Chatfield’s lead to 3-1. However, Golden senior Andres Garfias was slapped with his second yellow card in the 60th minute to give him a red card and creating a 10-on-10 for the rest of the game.
The Demons were able to keep the momentum with back-to-back goals from juniors Owen Berg and Flynn Halsor less than 2 minutes apart to ties things up 3-3 with just over 10 minutes left in regulation-time.
“We were on the ropes, but we were able to withstand that,” Blume said of the Demons scoring three goals in a 20 minute span of the second half to tie things up 3-3. “We have so many injuries and then we had the red card. So many guys are stepping up and it’s great to see that.”
Both teams had scoring chances in the final minutes of regulation time, but Laubhan and Chatfield goalie Jacob Nus were able to withstand the pressure. It wasn’t until the late-game heroics by Kemmer ended the non-league game.
“It’s all about keeping a good taste in your mouth when you have a long break like this,” Blume said. “Hopefully this kind of win will motivate us to work hard during those training successions before we play again.”
Chatfield (4-4 record) has a long break until its next contest. The Chargers don’t play next until they opening 5A Jeffco League play up at No. 2-ranked Valor Christian on Sept. 27.
“All our non-leagues were early, so it’s a good time to get some players back, get some players healthy and work on some stuff,” Blume said. “There will be lots of work and a lot of fitness.”
Chatfield junior Jayson Sharpeta and Kemmer scored the first two goals for the Chargers in the 13th and 20th minutes of the first half. Chatfield kept it going in the second half. After some nice passing, senior Christian Miller got the ball in some space in front of the Demons’ goalie and scored to make it a 3-0 advantage in the 47th minute.
“Get ready for Valor,” Kemmer said of the mindset with an 11-day break ahead. “That is our most important game of the season.”
Golden (4-3) had its 4-game winning streak snapped. The Demons had won four straight games by the same score of 2-1. Golden jumps into 4A Jeffco League play Tuesday, Sept. 20. The Demons face Dakota Ridge at Lakewood Memorial Field.