Facing a tough Arundel Wildcats group on Tuesday night, the Chesapeake Cougars showed once again why they are one of the top teams in Anne Arundel County. Thanks to a hat trick from Byron Klohr, the Cougars defeated Arundel, 4-0, for their sixth consecutive victory to start the season.
“I tell Byron all the time, ‘I don’t need you to be Superman,’” Chesapeake coach Ryan Keeter said. “’I need you to do your job’ and his job, fortunately for us, is scoring goals, which he does really well.”
Goalkeeper Ethan Kiniry maintained a highly organized, tight back line that limited Arundel’s attacking influence, earning the Cougars (6-0) their third shutout of the season.
“We just have to stay humble,” Keeter said. “This county is, in my opinion, the best county in the state public school system, top to bottom, for soccer. Every team is skilled and there are great coaches all over. So we have to stay humble. As a group we have to remember that any given day a team can come out and get us.”
With the rain pelting down on the turf, one might expect for the teams to take a cautious approach in building their attacks. That wasn’t the case Tuesday night as Arundel (3-3) and Chesapeake each drove directly at the opposition’s defense through the first half.
Klohr nearly struck twice early in the first half, his first chance coming just two minutes into the game. He had a goal midway through the first half called back for offsides.
Despite facing significant pressure in their defensive third, Arundel maintained its composure and created its own goal-scoring opportunities. Forward Samson Anjorin faced multiple defenders throughout the match, yet continued to be a nuisance for the Cougar defense. Comfortable with the ball at either foot, the senior forward weaved through the back line, slotting a low right-footed shot wide of the left goalpost.
To help contain Anjorin and the potent Wildcat attack, the Cougar defense led by Ethan Jimenez and Michael Paul implemented a high press midway through the first half, forcing Arundel into an offside trap. It paid off with Chesapeake changing the field of play in their favor and limiting Arundel’s shots on target.
After slowing down Arundel’s attack, Chesapeake started hunting for a goal late. Facing stiff resistance through the center of the pitch early, Chesapeake found success building possession through the midfield with Colton Keeter midway through the first half threading passes to force the Wildcat defense on their heels.
With more time behind the ball and the midfield catching the attention of the Arundel defense, it left more space for Klohr to work with. After being denied early, Klohr made sure to make the most of his chance late, slotting home his first of the match with under two minutes to play.
“The [5 p.m.] games, getting up, getting out of school and getting your mind right can be a challenge for players,” Keeter said on how they adapted through the first half. “But I didn’t really have to motivate them. They all kind of motivated themselves and realized that we weren’t playing up to our standards and they fixed it.”
The late goal seemed to spark Chesapeake’s attack at the start of the second half with Klohr smashing home his second of the match with 35 minutes left. After collecting a rebound off of a deflection, he used his strong right-foot to bury his chance past Anjorin.
Facing a two-goal deficit, Arundel showed some spark late. After earning a free kick with 15 minutes to play, Wildcats midfielder Cole Dunham slotted a low shot that appeared to be heading into the back of the net, but Kiniry read the shot perfectly, timing his dive to meet the ball.
The Cougars put the match away for good after earning a penalty kick at the 9:45 mark. After Anjorin committed a foul on Klohr inside of the 18-yard box, Klohr hammered home his third of the match.
Chesapeake continued their late scoring barrage after Colton Keeter connected on a pass from Simms. The sophomore midfielder slotted his chance past Anjorin, pushing Chesapeake’s lead to four and out of the reach of a Wildcat comeback.
“Colton played really solid,” Coach Keeter of his younger brother. “He’s just learning that role and taking advantage of goal-scoring opportunities that come his way. He’s been really close to scoring a ton of goals this year. So it was great to see him breakthrough.”