Fort Lauderdale FL
3.00 pm kickoff
Northwood 0 - Flagler 1
Frimannsson '75
After crucial losses against Baker and ERAU it was time to recover and get a win. Stepping out of the bus, we instantly felt the heat. Like Morten used to say: "It's a scorcher." With a new warm-up routine, improved attitude, and more hunger for victory than ever, the look on the face of the Northwood coach was one of great fear.
Personally I had a rough start, kicked to the ground on three occasions and then conceded a caution from the referee. Oh my. The Flagler team struggled a little against this scrappy Northwood side. Several goal scoring opportunities were wasted, and Steve's smashing finish was disallowed due to an offside call. Come on ref! It was shocking. Even Mychalcewycz lost his temper while operating the camera. Come on! Towards the end of the second half, a few of us had had enough of the heat and it was a relieve to get in the shade for a few minutes.
Scoreless at halftime, with the breeze, what would happen in the second half playing into the gust? Well, it was time for one of Coach's brilliant strategics. Start with a bit of pace up top and allow Tucker, Jorgen, Smalls, Denis, and Andreas to have a go at them. After about 20 minutes of great work by those lads, it was time for another set of fresh legs to enter the game. Lining up next to me on the sideline for the substitution were Sean, Coop, Zola, and Scott. "Nyarady we'll hold you for a few minutes." Back to the 3-4-3 formation, was Lynch's order. Then came a funny comment from the Coach of Northwood as the substiution was made and he saw the likes of Zola and Caleb coming on. "Guys, they are bringing on the big guns now". I laughed. Obviously they were terrified. As it turned out he was right to be. With about 15 mins to go Zola's free kick found me in the box, and the finish was relatively easy as I was completely unmarked. 0-1. We managed to hold on to the lead and give Pete Young a shutout, Coach Lynch a win, and ourselves a nice 4 hour busride home.
Man of the Match: Junior from Altamonte Springs; Brandon Parsons. At the tender age of 21 years, and 1 day, the midfielder had his best game in his new position at left back.
Play of the day: As I mentioned earlier Nortwood seemed to fear some of our players' skills. One in particular, Caleb Cooper. In order to stop the Gainesville lad they sought desperate measures. After unsuccessful attempts trying kicking him, slapping, and shoving, one of their defenders raised his fist and threw it towards Coopers face. I don't know how hard it hit but what a weird way to contain your opposition in a game of soccer. In his Buholz days, Cooper might have retaliated but now as a college senior he kept his composure. I wonder what Cooper has in store for his Northwood friend when we play them at home? Maybe a bottle of cold Gatorade after the game.
