DANE FUELLING
WZBD.com
A goal in the first 30 seconds and a goal with 12 minutes remaining in the contest were enough for the Norwell Knights to overcome a match that was otherwise controlled in the middle by the Bellmont Braves in NE8 play Tuesday in Decatur.
Noah Schamerloh shocked the home crowd and the Braves with a goal to set the tone for the night.
In the fifth minute, however, the Braves answered back, winning a free kick just outside the box. Carsten Hudson sent a little looping kick to the back post and senior Jack Johnson didn’t meet it, but rather got under it, deflecting the ball’s path slightly and scoring his (and the team’s) second goal of the season (see gallery below).
Johnson nearly made it 2-1 in the 17th minute, winning a penalty kick. Still a bit winded from the contact that resulted from the foul, Johnson was unable to get it past the Norwell keeper and the game remained tied.
Bellmont had the slight upper hand for the next 45 minutes on both sides of the half time break, but much of the play was in the middle of the field and long runs and possession were hard to come by for either team.
One of Norwell’s biggest scoring chances in the hour after their goal came in the 63rd minute. A run by Schamerloh drew out Bellmont goalie Xavior Palacios, but the pass to a teammate at the top of the D resulted in a shot on an open goal that went high over the bar. The new right back for the Braves, Malachi Lavine, was doing all he could to take up as much of the goal and distract.
All of Bellmont’s hard work went for nowt in the 68th minute, as Eli Mussleman scored on a run to the back post, banging it into the back of the net for a lead that had been missing for 67 minutes for the Knights.
Bellmont’s last great chance to salvage a draw in regular time was from a deflected shot by Jake Hackman, which bounced to Johnson. He slotted it towards the back post on the ground and the Norwell keeper somehow brought it back with a diving save.
Bellmont will stay home to face Woodlan, a team that recently beat Norwell, on Wednesday.
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