Max McKiernan:
Today, we played in the decisive match for the group against Eagles Blue out of Ohio South. With both teams unbeaten, the winner would advance to the semi-finals tomorrow. Because of the difficult conditions, we could tell that the game was going to be all about grit and toughness from the beginning. The fields were absolutely trashed from a day of play on the wet surface, and the temperature rose well into the 90s. I was confident in our team.
Everyone was totally focused and ready to play, and I knew we would be sharp from the beginning. We soon found ourselves with a corner kick. A left-footed service from Will Vitalis found Brandon Causey on the back post as he headed one home to give us the 1-0 lead. Eagles only needed a tie to advance, but if the result stood, we would advance with the win. We failed to capitalize on a couple of opportunities to extend the lead, but we defended well as a unit for the remainder of the half and made it to half time with the advantage.
Eagles gave it all they had to find the equalizer in the second half, but our back four and goalkeeper Taylor Hafling stayed strong. They hit a couple of posts and Taylor had to come up with some big saves, but they were unsuccessful.
We willed our way into the semi-finals for the second year in a row, giving us an opportunity to defend our Region II crown.
Our opponent tomorrow is the Iowa state champs, and I'm excited for an opportunity to get ourselves back to the finals.
Wish us luck!
Friday, July 17, 2009
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