MICHAEL KIRAL / L’Observateur / Febuary 1, 1999

LAPLACE – E.D. White got goals from Lee Harris and Eric Tate and JacquesGaudet held St. Charles Catholic in check as the Cardinals came away witha 2-0 District 8-III victory Wednesday night at Thomas Dupuy Stadium.

The Cardinals improved to 7-0 in district. St. Charles Catholic fell to 5-6-1 overall and 2-3-1 in district play.

Both teams had opportunities to get on the scoreboard in the first half.

Three minutes into the contest, E.D. White’s Phillip Olivier passed toJustin Verret downfield. Verret centered the pass to Harris who shotsailed left of the net. St. Charles Catholic’s Allan Doubleday then brokedownfield but Pierre Olivier and Nick Grabert were able to get back on defense.

After an offsides call by St. Charles Catholic, one of the six called on theComets in the game, Verret took a shot from in front of the net with Comets goalie Kurt Biven diving to his right to make the save.

At the eight minute mark, Lee Ledet passed deep for Verret. Verret movedin but had his shot sail over the net. Harris then tried a header that wasknocked down by the Comets defense.

The Comets then threatened as Jason Brignac passed downfield for Doubleday. Doubleday moved in but had his shot grabbed by Gaudet.Christian Panquerine then had a free kick that sailed just over the crossbar.

The Cardinals broke through at the 15-minute mark as Harris took a loose ball in the box and knocked it into the left side of the net.

The Comets had an opportunity to tie the score minutes later as Justin Chauvin chased down a pass on the right sideline and broke in. Gaudet cameout of the net and slid to knock the ball out. On the corner kick, Gaudetagain came out but Phillip Hoffman’s kick in front of the net was knocked down by a Cardinal defender.

Harris then took a deep pass toward the net but had his shot from the right sail left. Harris had another chance a minute later, taking a centering passand quickly angling a shot to the right corner where Biven made a diving grab.

St. Charles Catholic came back downfield and Mihran Naljayan had his passdeflected to Brignac deflected to Brignac up front. Brignac put a shot ongoal but Gaudet was there to make the save.

The Comets had one final opportunity at the 38-minute mark as Doubleday chased down a pass on the left side just outside the box and angled a shot to the right. The shot skipped past Gaudet but clanged off the right post,keeping the Cardinals ahead 1-0 at the break.

St. Charles Catholic went on the offensive again as the second half opened.Double-day moved in on goal but Philip Olivier was there on the defense.

Olivier would blanket the Comets’ leading scorer for the rest of the game.

“He was the fastest sweeper we have played the whole year,” St. CharlesCatholic coach Andy Roussel said of Olivier. “He was all over the place.”Minutes later, Verret passed ahead to Ledet. Ledet moved in but Panquerinewas there to make a sliding stop.

Harris then centered a pass that was headed out by Hoffman. Ledet thentried a shot in front of the net but had it deflected by Panquer-ine.

Another centering pass was deflected by Hoffman. Tate took the loose ballin front of the net and knocked it past the Comets’ defense, giving the Cardinals a 2-0 lead 12 minutes into the half.

Five minutes later, Brignac attempted a free kick that sailed over the net.

Brignac then took a corner kick and angled it to the left corner but Gaudet was there to make a diving stop.

E.D. White had another chance at the 23-minute mark as Will Magee’sheader bounced off the crossbar. Mike Berger then attempted a shot fromthe left side that was grabbed by Biven.

On the Comets’ following trip down the field, Panquer-ine tried a kick from the right sidelines that just missed finding the left corner of the net.

Gaudet would grab shots by Naljayan, Hoffman and Doubleday in the final minutes. Brignac then took a pass in front and tried a quick kick that wasgrabbed by Gaudet at the 38-minute mark.

“We played them tougher than any other team in district,” Roussel said of his team that had also lost a two-goal game to the Cardinals earlier in the season. “They gave all they had. They played their hearts out. They havenothing to be ashamed of.”Roussel said top defense went to his entire defensive backfield, saying that the defense played tough the whole game.

The Comets play at Country Day today as they battle for second place in district.

“We have a big game at Country Day,” Roussel said. “We are playing forsecond place now.”

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