MNJYSA game #9 (7th game played)
After being rained out on Friday night from a turf field in Parsippany with less rain than was coming down at River Road Park in Bedminster, it was not looking promising that we would get the game in, but the referees checked out the field and felt that it was draining adequately, so the game was on. The Wildcats were a little hyper, and after check-in they decided to war-paint their faces with River Road Park mud.
Winning the toss, we chose to take the slight breeze at our backs and go with the slight slope as the Aventura took the ball. The contant rain, wet ball, and slippery conditions seemed not to affect the FC Copa players as much as it did the WIldcats. We were a little flat-footed in defense, tended to over-pursue on challenges, and mis-hit the ball quite a bit, whereas the red shirts were controlling the ball pretty well and moving it around nicely.
On 9 minutes Copa came up the middle into the box resulting in a scrum of players at about the 6 yard line all vying for the ball. There were attempted shots and clearances, deflections and bounces, and the ball eventually popped out heading towards the net, but it was cleared off the line by Chelsea.
The half continued in similar fashion with Copa handling the ball well and moving it from side to side in the back and penetrating up field. Even though the Wildcats didn't have a lot of the possession, they were containing to the outside well, and closing down well in the middle of their defensive third which led to very few opportunities for the Aventura to pressure our goal or test Bre in the goal.
The Wildcats started winning some balls late in the half and then created some pressure at the other end of the field. Copa's first half goalie was quick, agile and very sure-handed so beating her was not going to be easy. With a minute left in the half Paige was sent through on a break and shot near post, but the keeper did well to parry the ball out for a corner. With time ticking down, Amy fired in a corner that was weakly cleared only to have Bri take the ball down the right channel and send a beautiful cross over to the in-rushing Siobhan on the far post.. Siobhan trapped and shot left-footed... the keeped went down to cover, but the shot came off Siobhan's foot at a strange angle and the ball rolled to the keeper's left... alertly Siobhan and Jules follwed up and Siobhan made sure by knocking the ball home just as the keeper was about to recover. The whistle sounded before Copa could kick-off again. 1-0 Wildcats at the half.
During half time the rain stopped and the skies brightened, but the play was about the same as the first. 13 minutes in though, Hannah won a ball inside the right flank and fed Paige nicely up the middle. Paige thought about shooting, but instead led Jules' onto her left foot Jules took a quick peek, saw where the keeper was and hit a low left footed shot against the momentum of the keeper, who dived back but just bearely missed the ball with her fingertips, which allowed the ball to continue and scrape the inside of the far post going in to give the Wildcats that infamous 2-0 lead (the worst lead to have !!).
About 10 minutes later Jules fed Reb up the right wing, resulting in a strong shot that just went over the bar. 5 minutes after that Copa came downfield and were allowed a screened shot from just outside the box that Lin did well to stop with a full extension to her right post.
In the last 8 or so minutes of the game it seemed that Copa went in to a little bit of a funk....as if they had almost resigned themselves to a loss, even though they probably had the better of the play on the afternoon. The game ended 2-0 for the Wildcats, which keeps us in first place in the flight, and one step closer to the flight championship and the divisional play-off.
GO WILDCATS !!!