Manchester United Rallies for a 3-3 Draw
Daryl’s game Report Sat. Sept 27, 2008 IU 3… ManU 3
The sun broke through for a beautiful day for soccer. Manchester United was the first place team based on points, and we were expecting a challenging match. Boys on both sides charged back and forth with effort and determination. But early on we were pressing harder, and at 9 minutes a hard shot by Graham was turned away by a ManU defender with his shoulder, inside the penalty area. Although it was questionable that this was intentional, the referee ruled it was handling the ball. This year such a call results in a direct free kick at the edge of the penalty area. (Next year, it would be a penalty kick.) Kai wasted no time in arching a beautiful kick over the defending wall, no easy task, and high into the top of the goal. Their keeper got just his fingertips on it before it sailed to the back of the net. Lovely execution!
Our boys were fast to the ball much of the time, an improvement we had worked on after the last game. There was lots of nice passing, on both sides, but many of our advances were met with stiff defence that stopped the attack. It seemed that our players often held on to the ball too long, and were tackled before they got off a shot or a pass. A dazzling display of dribbling by ManU’s center forward kept them in the play. He managed to elude several defenders, dribbled close to the goal, and got off a hard shot that found its mark. Shots were traded, but we recovered and stepped up the pace. Finally the pressure started giving us more opportunities. Jonathan worked the ball down the right side, and passed to Ian. Nearly in front of the goal but surrounded by defenders, Ian sent a crisp pass to Steven, who had positioned himself open on the left side. Steven took barely a fraction of a second to ram his shot home while the left side of the net was unguarded. Again, great teamwork and finish
Man U took heart from their late score, and came out with renewed vigor in the second half. But again, some hard work and nice teamwork set up our next score. Steven intercepted the ball, and sent it to Ian. Ian passed to John, who bulled his way past the last two defenders and got off a very hard shot. The goalkeeper reached down to grab it, but it was too fast, and the ball trickled through his hands into the net. Although down 3-1, Man U seemed to redouble their effort, and put on increasing pressure, gaining corner shots and sending all their players into our end. There were several scrambles in front of our net, and it was hard to clear the ball. After one corner shot, the ball came out to an unguarded forward on the left side, and he banged it home. A few minutes later, after another scramble, the ball once again made it to an unguarded forward on the left side, and Man U scored their third goal, to tie it up. This was disappointing, because we had really had the better part of the play, but a couple of lapses let them back in.
During the last minutes of the game we put on a furious pressure to get back that goal. John nearly did just that when he gathered in a pass, shook off two more defenders, and let a scorching shot go from outside the penalty area. The ball curled in and ricocheted off the post with a resounding boom. We had several more opportunities and good shots, and Man U was reeling. Too soon, the final whistle sounded.
It was a hard-fought and entertaining game, and, over all, our boys played well. This was the type of competitive game we had been anticipating in Upper House. We need to keep on the pressure throughout the entire game, cover open opponents, and keep looking for, and passing to, open teammates. It’s clear that any one of our players is a potential goal scorer.
The draw leaves us with seven points, two points behind the Red Hawks, who had a surprising 1-0 victory over Central SF United, and one point behind Man U. International United is listed in first place with the best won-loss percentage, and we have one game in hand. We look forward to the challenge of playing the other top two teams in the next few weeks.
Line Score Sat. Sept. 27, 2008 11:30 South Sunset
International United 2 1 - 3
Manchester United 1 2 - 3
Scoring:
9:00 Elijah Kai (2) on direct free kick
12:00 ManU
22:00 Steven (1) Assists Jonathan, Ian
26:00 John (1) Assists Steven, Ian
34:00 ManU from goal scramble after corner kick
40:00 ManU from goal scramble
Corner Kicks:
IU 3
ManU 3
Shots:
IU 9 8 - 17
ManU 2 5 - 7
Next Game:
Sat. Oct. 4 2:00 P.M. South Sunset
v. Quakes
Weather: Saturday rain does not usually cancel games; accumulated rain from the day before may cause field closures due to flooded or excessively muddy fields. For the South Sunset artificial turf field, assume that the game is on, rain or shine. The Vikings website will list any field closures.
Of note, the Hardly Strictly Blues Festival at Speedway Meadows in GGP this weekend will slow down traffic crossing GGPark.
School Breaks: We plan to continue to have practices every Friday and Monday, regardless of upcoming school breaks or holidays or days off. For our planning, please let us know of any anticipated absences during school breaks, or at any other time. Thanks.
IU Website and blogsite: Remember to check the team website for the latest news, photos, comments on the games, and links to snack schedules and carpools. Your own comments are welcomed.
http://www.patricetaffin.com/soccer
Game Summary
IU: Andreas GK
0:00 shot Kai, wide
1:00 shot Graham, saved
2:00 shot Kai, blocked
5:00 shot Steven, wide
8:00 shot Kai, wide
9:00 shot Graham, handled by ManU defender
9:00 foul on ManU, DFK Kai, goal Kai Score 1-0
10:00 IU shot blocked
12:00 goal Man U Score 1-1
13:00 header Jonathan
16:00 shot Graham, saved
20:00 shot Jonathan, saved
21:00 shot ManU, save Andreas
22:00 goal Steven, assists Jonathan, Ian Score 2-1
25:00 Half Time IU 2 … ManU
IU: William GK
25:00 shot Andreas, saved
26:00 shot ManU, save William
26:00 goal John, assists Steven, Ian Score 3-1
27:00 shot ManU, block Carter
32:00 shot Ian, saved
33:00 shot ManU, block Carter
34:00 goal ManU from corner kick Score 3-2
36:00 shot John wide
40:00 goal ManU from scramble in front of net Score 3-3
42:00 shot John, hit goal post
44:00 shot Ian, saved
46:00 shot Erik, saved
48:00 shot Kai, saved
50:00 Final Score 3-3
