| Heartbreaker for Sudwerk DAVIS, Calif., Aug. 9 (Reuters) -- FC Sudwerk suffered a heartbreaking loss Tuesday, falling 2-1 to Short Grass after thoroughly dominating the game but failing to capitalize on bucket loads of scoring opportunities. The defeat dropped the red-and-black's summer record to 2-3. Sudwerk took the lead on a goal by Donn Cox in the 43rd minute. Cox tapped in a ball that caromed into the goal mouth off the Short Grass keeper, who deflected a close-range header by J.B. Rudell that came off a 40-yard free kick from Andrew LaMar. While the run of play appeared mostly even in the early going, the red-and-black opened the throttle to start the second half and overwhelmed Short Grass with a precision passing attack that took advantage of Cox's energetic and creative runs as striker and a strong midfield corps led by Mel Meyer, Melissa Kirkpatrick, Leon Shahinain and Jay Well. "This is the best I've ever seen this team play," said Juan Carlos, the president and CEO of FC Sudwerk. "Clearly, we were unlucky and deserved a better result." Cox created opportunity after opportunity for Sudwerk but the red-and-black could not convert. On his most sensational play, Cox received a cross from Leon Shahinian at the top of the box. He volleyed the ball out of the air with his left foot, placing a well-directed shot near the top center of the goal. The Short Grass goalie did well to stop the arching shot. Sudwerk's scoring chances were almost too numerous to list and included breakaways by Randi Field and James Engel and missed wide-open shots by Deleana Quan and LaMar. Nearly every Sudwerk player had a crack at goal. But while the red-and-black struggled to ripple the back of the net, the yellow-shirted Short Grass took advantage of its limited scoring threats. As the red-and-black pressed, Short Grass counterattacked with long through balls and speedy strikers. Short Grass first equalized on a well-taken, 30-yard shot from the left flank in the 61st minute. The yellows then delivered the crushing blow in the 85th minute when they caught offensively minded Sudwerk out of position and used a four-on-three break to score on a blistering shot from the 18-yard-line left of goal. ## |