On Thursday, January 28th, the Chandler Prep Titans hosted the Valley Christian Trojans in a difficult first region game of the season. The Trojans took control of the field midway through the first half and continued to dominate for the remainder of the game, winning 8-0.

For the first 20 minutes of the first half, the Titan defense stood firm against the oppressive Trojan offense, with neither team able to score. In this time, junior defender Ali Mahmood and senior defender Ben Richey were very effective for Chandler Prep in stopping fast breaks and on-target shots before they reached the goalie. In the second half, Mahmood and Richey handled the ball well crossing it to the Titan midfielders or out of play to prevent an offensive shot by Valley Christian, but it was Titan goalie Kyle Duffek that had numerous saves in the second half against the constant threat of a precise Trojan offense. Chandler Prep’s Head Coach commented on the game and what his team needs to do going forward.

“We just have to work harder. We need to work harder, play better, and fix mistakes. We do well playing through the mid. We have to use our midfield a lot more and attack more, just playing through the midfield as much as we can.”

After the first score—a penalty kick 19 minutes into the first half—the Trojans found their scoring rhythm and had very few shots off target. Chandler Prep struggled throughout the first half to finish with a shot on goal even though they were able to dribble and pass the ball through the Trojan defense. The second half was similarly lopsided, but rather than carefully planned offensives by both teams, the game was dominated by long balls, with Valley Christian able to prevent goals with physical speed alone. Chandler Prep forwards each had a shot on goal in Thursday’s game, but the Titans were ultimately unable to score.

The Titan boys play their next game away against Arete Prep. Titan Up.