O-40 POST STRANGE COME-FROM-AHEAD WIN
WITHSTAND LATE VINTAGE UTD. CHARGE
It did not start well. Then it changed. Then it got better. Then it got much better. Then it started to go badly. Then it got worse. Then, time ran out with the SSL O-40 side in the lead, & they hung on to post the win. Barely!
At game time, SSL could only field 4 players! Not the way you want to start. However, they had no choice. But things got better. A wonderful finish for a goal by Gianni Pens & a short time later, a rope from a bad angle for Steve Vitale, & SSL strangely found themselves in the lead 2-0 less than 5 minutes into the game, & still a man down. Things got better still.
A fifth SSL player showed up in the person of Chris Carpenter. Now they were even & still maintained a 2-0 lead. Two more first half goals, again by Pens & Vitale, pushed the score to 4-0, & still, SSL had no subs. The good news was, they at least had five field players.....and the lead.
Later in the half, Carpenter chipped in with his first of the evening, upping the score to 5-0. Had you not been watching the game you'd have thought that the SSL side was two deep at every position. They weren't, but still, they held the lead, the possession, the chances & the finishes.
Shortly before the half, Vintage converted on one of their rare chances to get on the scoreboard at 5-1. That turned out to be the score at the interval. The second half would turn out to be be drastically different for the SSL side. This match was far, far from over.
Vintage continued to increase the pressure as the SSL side tired due to a lack of subs. Soon Vintage converted on yet another chance, narrowing the score to 5-2. Not to worry. Still a 3 goal lead, right? Unfortunately for SSL, there was still a whole lot of time on the clock.
Then, another goal by Pens, his 3rd on the evening, pulled back one of the Vintage goals to once again increase the SSL lead to 6-2. Much more comfortable. But not out of the woods just yet. At that point, one of the Vintage forwards, their target man, Nick D'Amato, went on a scoring spree, scoring three straight unanswered goals, closing the SSL lead to 6-5. Just that quickly, D'Amato had single-handedly gotten Vintage back in the game. SSL had a game on their hands once again. But, they still had the lead.
At that point, SSL scored a huge goal, one that turned out to be the game winner, in the person of Steve Vitale. Vitale, who had been open most of the evening, was open once again, He collected an outlet pass from goalie John Kosuscek, raced down the right sideline, let go with a right-footed bomb from an extremely bad angle, & buried it in the back of the net. Shazam!!!, just like that, that goal upped the SSL lead to two goals at 7-5. That was his 3rd tally of the evening as well, & they would need that goal. Badly.
Again, D'Amato was in on the next Vintage play. Chasing a ball into the corner, he turned quickly & passed the ball on a line into the box where an onrushing teammate slashed into the box & one-timed the ball into the back of the SSL net for their sixth goal of the game, closing the score to 7-6. However, time was running out for the Vintage side. SSL continued to maintain the lead, press the attack, control the play, & deny Vintage the ball. As time expired, SSL was able to hang on & post a 7-6, white-knuckle win in what turned out to be a very strange but entertaining game.
With the win, SSL was able to even their record at 4-4 & win this 3rd place playoff game. Now, with next session looming next Tuesday, they now have to hope to see more of their regular players. Any more of these types of short-handed games, & they may find themselves not so lucky. Time may well run out on them the next time around. Thanks for reading.
|
SOCCER ST. LOUIS STATS O-40
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
NAME
|
|
GAMES
|
GOALS
|
ASSISTS
|
POINTS
|
|
|
|
JOHNNY PENS
|
|
8
|
15
|
7
|
37
|
|
|
|
JOE BAER
|
|
4
|
5
|
1
|
11
|
|
|
|
STEVE RANKIN
|
|
6
|
4
|
2
|
10
|
|
|
|
CHRIS CARPENTER
|
|
6
|
5
|
0
|
10
|
|
|
|
BOB JANKO
|
|
5
|
2
|
5
|
9
|
|
|
|
TIM KELLEY
|
|
4
|
3
|
0
|
6
|
|
|
|
MIKE HARTSOOK
|
|
6
|
2
|
2
|
6
|
|
|
|
WALLY STOKES
|
|
7
|
0
|
5
|
5
|
|
|
|
JOHN KOZUSCEK
|
|
6
|
0
|
2
|
2
|
|
|
|
JIM AHEARN
|
|
4
|
1
|
0
|
2
|
|
|
|
DOMINIC ANIC
|
|
2
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
|
|
|
KEN BRIGDEN
|
|
2
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
|
|
|
MARTY ISSA
|
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
|
|
|
STEVE SCHLICHTIG
|
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
|
TODD LORETTA
|
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
Warning: Your facilities tie breaker rules and rankings may not follow the rules above.
|
