Ferocious comeback forges a tie

If the Port Washington High School soccer team played the entire game like it did in the final 10 minutes last Thursday, it would have flattened Plymouth.

The Pirates dominated possession for the entire non-conference contest but couldn’t find the back of the net enough and came away with a 2-2 tie.

The Pirates were actually fortunate, and they can thank Charlie Neitzke.

The junior midfielder scored twice in less than five minutes to even the score, with the second goal coming from more than 20 yards away.

Neitzke got an open look and launched a rocket shot past a diving Panthers’ keeper to the left side of the net. Senior midfielder Ben Hughes got the assist.

“That was probably the best goal I’ve ever scored. It was pretty nice,” Neitzke said.

“He’s been really playing well for us. He hammered that one home, just an unbelievable goal,” coach Sean O’Brien said.

Less than five minutes earlier, in the 79th minute, Neitzke got Port on the board. Plymouth’s keeper came out to stop the ball but it slid by, and Neitzke bumped it in. Senior midfielder Skylar Shafer got the assist.

“It was just going to take one. It was that kind of game. I told the guys I wish we had another minute and a half. You could sense that that third goal was on its way,” O’Brien said.

Neitzke said that score changed the game.

“It was just a good momentum shift. It made the other team lose composure so it was easier to score the second one.”

Port pressured and opened up opportunities in the final 10 minutes.

In the 85th minute, sophomore midfielder Carson Roller fired a long shot that nailed the post. In the 89th minute, Garant took a shot that resulted in a diving save.

With 15 seconds to play, Hughes nailed a shot that sailed over the goal.

“I’m proud of the guys. They battled really hard. They showed a lot of heart coming back from 2-nothing, especially that late in the game,” O’Brien said.

The Pirates had dominated the entire game, maintaining possession for nearly all of it.

“Soccer’s a funny game that way. It really is. You can have a lot of possession and a fluky goal here or there can put you in a hole,” O’Brien said.

Plymouth scored on a counterattack in the 70th minute to take a 2-0 lead.

The game was nearly called because the field had standing water at noon, O’Brien said. By nightfall, it was soft with one muddy patch.

Field conditions caused the Pirates’ Aug. 28 home game against Homestead to be rescheduled to Sept. 20.

The Pirates, 1-1-1, were scheduled to play at Whitefish Bay on Tuesday and to host a quad tournament on Friday and Saturday.

Opponents include Edgewood, Luxemburg-Casco and Platteville. They host Nicolet on Tuesday, Sept. 11.