As expected and only at Elkhart Christian did a referee officiate the JV match resembling Jesus. The JV felt blessed to rout the Eagles 0-8 with a four goal performance by Kyler Fike. The JV moves to 3-3-1 on the season! The Varsity takes the field after the JV takes care of business on a windy and cool night. The national anthem follows the prayer so quickly that the flag doesnt even make it to the top of the pole. For years now, it seems, the ECA game has ended in a stalemate and hopefully that will change tonight. The Eagles are a very good opponent who have only lost one game on the season and that one only by way of a PK shoot out versus highly ranked Bethany Christian two nights ago. The first ten minutes of the game are somewhat sloppy and ECA takes the ball into our box in the first 20 seconds of the game. We answer quickly when we counter and Carlos serves Dom with a defense split that puts Dom eye to eye with the ECA keeper. The shot is saved by the Eagles backstop. Play goes back and forth and at times we look good in passing and combining but at times we get ourselves in trouble in the back near our own box when we do not decidedly clear a ball but instead hold on to it too long. Up until the 20th, we do not pay a price. But in the 20th we give away a corner. Despite having four players plus the keeper near where the ball ends up, it is a EA midfielder who gets to the ball and heads it into the net for a 1-0 lead. This however seems to wake us up. We start to play better, pass better and show some determination right from the kick off. In the 27th, Grant passes a ball to Sol who puts the ball past the Elkhart Christian keeper for the 1-1 tie. The ECA keeper is a reincarnation of every ECA keeper before him; quick, athletic and a good bal stopper. But that does not stop Grant Miller. In minute 31, he takes a long distance shot Grant Miller style (the one we have been waiting on all season) that goes from the left of the field into the upper right, unreachable for the keeper. The 1-2 lead is also the half time score. The second twenty minutes of the first half shows a very good team effort with good combination play. Dom is open on the right the entire first half and serves ball after ball at will to anyone who is open. Our Head Coach makes a couple of adjustments at the half and points out a few things that need improvements. The second half has a different feel than the first. Trace barely has to come into action. If he gets the ball, it is to pick it up at the end of the box. Dom has shifted to the right and even though he is playing on the opposite site from the first half, he is unexplainably unmarked there as well. Dom's passing is as good in this half if not better than they were in the first. Ball after ball goes diagonally into or near the box for people to run onto. Our defense has, after listening to Kyle at the half, a much better second act and cleans up the passing and clearing out of the back. In the 59th, Grant gets the ball near the midline. After almost losing possession, he gets a foot on the ball before the opponent and keeps dribbling towards the Eagles box. Momentarily he gives the ball up to Sol who passes it back. Grant then dribbles along the top of the box and takes a shot. The great take goes to the keepers left and hits the right side net for a comfortable 1-3 lead. The Panthers get numerous other opportunities and ECA is lucky to not get scored on more. Carlos gets unlucky a couple of times in the last ten minutes after some good combination play. The chance in the 71st seems to be our fourth goal but Carlos' shot gets stopped on the line. Overall it is a very good performance that comes after a solid win Tuesday and a good performance against Northridge last week. It is good to see that we are playing good soccer in a formation that the team is doing well in and at the same time we play physical as well which is a requisite for succes in the post season. The Varsity moves to 5-3-1 on the season with all losses coming against ranked teams. The boys won't get a lot of rest with another match coming up Saturday at home versus Trinity at Greenlawn. JV will start at noon followed by the Varsity game that will kick off around 1:30 pm.
The very original Eagles Nest Sky Deck.
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