Chuckey Doak dominated the offensive end of the pitch Thursday evening, rolling past Cosby 9-0 to improve to 4-1 overall and, more importantly, 1-0 in district play.
“We like to have possession,” Black Knights coach Steeve Neesen said. “It’s very important for us and the way we want to play. If you have possession, you can score. Without it, you can’t do anything.”
It took a few minutes for the Knights to find their rhythm, despite early scoring opportunities. Several opening shots sailed wide or were turned away by the Eagles’ keeper.
“We started slow with some miscommunication and not enough passing,” Neesen added. “But we showed in the second half that we’re much better than what we put on the field early.”
Chuckey Doak broke through in the 7th minute when Benji Merrill sent a cross from about 15 yards out that slipped into the back of the net for a 1-0 lead.
“It was important for us to get a good start and build confidence,” Neesen said. “That first goal is always big, and we were able to build from there.”
Less than a minute later, senior leader Domnic Hahnlen doubled the advantage, taking a pass from Jesus Rojas and driving it past the keeper. Hahnlen went on to score four goals on the night — a super hat trick.
The Knights extended the lead late in the first half with a pair of rebound goals — one by Hahnlen in the 33rd minute and another by Kaleo Tuscano-Dulanto — sending Chuckey Doak into the break with a 4-0 advantage.
Rojas made it 5-0 in the 43rd minute with one of the night’s most impressive plays, launching a direct kick from over 45 yards out that sailed over the keeper’s outstretched arms.
Ryland Grindstaff added to the tally in the 46th minute, finishing off a pass from Hahnlen to push the lead to 6-0.
Hahnlen struck again with back-to-back goals in the 48th and 56th minutes, both assisted by Rojas, extending the lead to 8-0.
Freshman Calvin Odenthal capped the scoring in the 57th minute with his first high school goal, weaving past the keeper and finishing into the net.
Chuckey Doak will travel to Gate City on Monday looking to build momentum as it heads deeper into conference play, with matchups against Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg Pittman on the horizon.
