Poised Cats: Despite playing a man down, Dalton advances to Final Four

Published 12:32 am Thursday, May 9, 2019

Prior to Wednesday night’s playoff match, Dalton High School boys soccer coach Matt Cheaves said whether his players kept their composure would be the key to the game, and as it turned out he was right.

In front of a lively home crowd, Dalton (21-0, 8-0 in Region 6-6A) defeated Glynn Academy 5-1 at Harmon Field in the Elite Eight of the Class 6A state playoffs. With the win, Dalton advances to the Final Four and guarantees one final match this season on its home field. The Catamounts will host Pope High School on Tuesday night with the game time to be announced.

Wednesday’s match was highlighted by physical and chippy play throughout, especially in the second half, and according to Cheaves it came as no surprise.

“What we saw in the second half was exactly what I expected,” he said.

With Dalton leading 1-0, Nathan Rincon added a second goal for the Catamounts off a rebound with 25 minutes left in the game. Following the goal, a scuffle ensued in and around the Glynn Academy goal between players on both sides, with the result being a yellow card issued to the Glynn Academy goalkeeper and one red card issued to both Dalton and Glynn Academy. Dalton senior Harrison Fraire received the red card and will be ineligible for Dalton’s semifinal match and possibly the state championship if the team advances to that point. The Georgia High School Association will inform Cheaves whether Fraire will serve a one- or two-match suspension.

“The GHSA will send us something within the next day or two letting us know how many games he’s suspended for,” Cheaves said.

Despite losing a senior leader, Dalton continued to attack, with both teams playing a man down for the remainder of the match. After scoring the first goal of the match in the first half, Dalton freshman Yahir Paez scored his second goal minutes after Rincon’s. Glynn Academy answered to make the score 3-1 with 18 minutes left, but Dalton’s senior midfielder Tony Saldana promptly responded for the Catamounts. With seven minutes to play, Saldana scored with a classy finish to the keeper’s right on a breakaway, and pumped his fist in front of the home sideline in celebration. The goal made the score 4-1, and afterward Saldana said the entire team stands with Fraire.

“Their keeper literally stuck his cleats on our striker’s head,” Saldana said. “That’s ridiculous, so for someone not to react the way Harrison reacted I would say they don’t have pride in his team and love for the sport.

“After the first 10 minutes I knew it was going to be like that. They were saying some things that obviously bother us as Hispanics and I’m glad our team reacted the way they did and kept their cool. Soccer is bigger than that, it’s way bigger than anything anyone could call any race. Soccer is global and honestly I love that.”

The chippiness continued for the final few minutes as a second Glynn Academy player was issued a red card following a tackle from behind. Seven cards were issued in the match, and players from both sides could be seen talking back and forth along with the referee.

With two minutes remaining, Dalton senior Christian Cordova added the final goal on a curving shot from more than 20 yards out on the right side. It was Cordova’s first career goal, and it put a bow on the victory for Dalton.

“It felt amazing, I was really in shock,” Cordova said. “I asked if it really counted, and then I looked back and I saw my coaches and the fans cheering. It was an unforgettable moment.”

The Dalton players were relieved to have earned one final opportunity to play at home this season, and to keep their championship dreams alive. Cheaves said the team held tryouts the second week of the semester, and now four months later the team is one of four teams remaining in Class 6A.

To play in an atmosphere like the one at Harmon Field on Wednesday night was truly a gift, according to Dalton’s senior midfielder Ivan Mora.

“The adrenaline was definitely high out there tonight,” Mora said. “That was a game that any soccer player would love to play in.”