The morning game features #19 NorthWood and #13 Bremen. An early season measuring stick of where we are. It is evident from the start that this is another typical NW-Bremen match. Initial pressure comes from the Lions who are able to score early in the 11th. It is now time to see what the Panthers have mentality wise to start and get back into this game. Kyle makes an adjustment and puts Carlos on the right side for a better match up. It pays off in the 16th when Carlos slices thru two defenders and lays the ball off to Sol near the left top of the 18. His right low shot goes past the keeper to put the 1-1 on the board. NW and Bremen play a pretty even game with NW having a little bit of an advantage with some offensive opportunities. One of those comes in the 28th when from about 25 out, Drew Davis shoots a ball at the goal and over the Bremen keeper for a 2-1 lead. Drew has now recorded a goal as a freshman and sophomore! A couple of minutes later a disputable call by the ref results in a PK for Bremen. The explanation of "the NW player cleared the ball but after he did made contact with the opponent resulting in a trip" does not constitute a penalty in my book, FIFA's book or IHSAA book but the half center ref (we again only have two refs) has the last word. Bremen's best player, #10 takes the penalty. He shoots low and left but an amazing save by Trace Rojas keeps the ball out of the net and the Pathers conserve the lead. It takes some more magic from Trace (fantastic diving save in the 56th from #12 and forcing #10 to shoot outside the frame in the 59th) in the second half to make sure NW keeps the lead. A great result against another ranked and solid team puts us in the Final at 5 pm. A Bremen "fan" gets ejected by the referee for the rest of the tournament. Manchester defeats Western quite easily in the noon match up. Bremen defeats Western in the match for 3rd and 4th. At 5 pm it is time for the Final. Manchester has a couple of good players and #12 is by far their biggest threat as he has speed and a good shot. NW starts somewhat slow while Manchester brings the energy. A breakaway counter in the 10th at the NorthWood goal requires Trace to not just come off his line but actually make a daring save outside (1) the 18 yard box to preserve the 0-0. In the 24th minute, Carlos plays to Sol who lets the ball dummy thru his legs. The ball gets to Jager, who is enjoying a day where his name is not butchered, and takes a shot at the Manchester goal. The ball hits the cross bar while dipping back down. Solomon has three great opportunities after making great runs but the lanky Manchester backstop is able to stop all three. With 60 seconds left on the clock, Manchester breaks the stalemate and puts the Squires up 0-1. A blunt half time talk is focused on a couple of minor tactical issues but more so on our workrate that needs to improve if we want to take the trophy home tonight. An energized NorthWood takes the field and plays with a higher tempo. We end up with 12 corners in the game and each one is dangerous. In the 53rd one of these corners ends up inside the 6 and a Maddox Brown hip puts the ball over the line to tie the game. NW plays with more pressure on the Manchester defense resulting in numerous balls in the box. On the 63rd, one of these attacks in the box turns into a PK after a Suire handball. Carlos sends the keeper the wrong way. NorthWood leads 2-1. The score stays this way until the final whistle. The Panthers win the 2023 NorthWood Invitational. They get results against two ranked opponents in the first week of the season. This coming week will be another challenging week. For one, the weather will be a challenge with the high temps and humidity and for another, we face somevery tough opponents. We again face two ranked opponents and both of them away from home. Mishawaka Marian is ranked 3rd in 2A while Northridge is ranked 18th in 3A. The bus for Marian leaves at 4 pm Monday from Wellfield Park. JV starts at 5 pm, Varsity kicks off at 7 pm.
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