In a Top 20 showdown, Curley edges Loch Raven in double overtime

Sophomore Mike Sauers’ header with 1:20 to go in the second overtime gave No. 16 Archbishop Curley a 3-2 season-opening soccer win over No. 11 Loch Raven in a hard fought battle on the pitch in East Baltimore on Friday afternoon.

Sauers got a cross from Anthony Driscoll as he made his run to the box to give coach Barry Stitz’s young team the win.

“The goal came off a throw in,” said Sauers. “It was a great cross by Anthony.”

Sauers also figured prominently early in the game when the Friars grabbed a 1-0 lead eight minutes into the contest.  A Sauers’ shot hit the post and caromed back to Dan Oxendine who footed the rebound into the net.

The Friars would make it 2-0 when they scored on an own goal with four minutes left in the half.

Loch Raven played a great second half, scoring twice to send the game into overtime.  Andrew Mitchell tallied at 35:07 of the second half on a feed from John Pecora, and Pecora came up big when he tied the game for coach Joe Fiedler with nine minutes to go in regulation.

Sophomore Brady Badmington was outstanding in the goal for the Raiders, turning back 14 Friar shots on the day. Senior keeper Jason Gordon had 10 saves for the Friars.

Stitz said he was proud of his team.

“We possessed the ball, and we did a good job today,” said the veteran coach. “They (Loch Raven) play very physical, they play with a lot of energy, and it was a tough game.”

Curley’s J.P.O’Connor singled out the play of Loch Raven’s Seth Moses.

“Seth is a really good player up top, and so is Andrew (Mitchell) in the middle,” said O’Connor.  “We pretty much won the first half, and they came out really strong in the second half.”

The Friars Ricky Greensfelder concurred.

“They came out flying all over us in the second half, especially Seth Moses.”

Fiedler, who led the Raiders to the State 1A championship last season said he didn’t think his team played well in the first half.

“When we play hard, we play well,” Said Fiedler.  “Every year it’s a one goal game when we play them.”