ECA - NorthWood 1-1 (0-1)

Talon Field has the worst game clock in Northern Indiana and the strangest Press Box but some of the best lighting around. The Panthers start out strong and full of energy. The guys fly to the ball and are pressing strong and smart. Initially we end up with some opportunities with a couple of shots from Gusy (first one in the 3rd minute), Jager and Isaac but we have to wait for the 28th minute before we see our first (and what would turn out to be our only) goal when Jager crosses a ball to Cole "the Bus" Huff who scores after having come into the game only minutes before that. We finish the half strong with quite a few good passing strings , good energy and pressure. At the half we talk about the changes ECA will bring when it comes to more pressure on us as well as trying to bring more offensive numbers which in turn should open things up in their defense for us. The second half indeed starts with ECA pressuring the Panthers more. We lose the ball more often and also lose a bit of grip on the game. Officiating is abysmal in the second half. After barely utilizing his instrument in the first half, the center ref now has discovered his whistle and blows it more often even though the decisions are fairly dubious. Ignoring his AR on the far side for most of the game, we even see a discussion between the two where it is obvious that the AR is getting increasingly frustrated with being completely ignored. The center arbiter is pretty much unaware and oblivious and probably not worthy of being a center for a High School game. It is his performance that will turn the contest more contentious near the end because the decisions are hard to understand.In the 65th minute of play, Cole gets another chance at a goal at close range but neglects to make good contact with the ball (aka a whiff). In the 71st, ECA ties the game on a effort inside the box. Jager ends up with a yellow while time runs out for blocking a free kick that should have been awarded to NW.The final score is a disappointing 1-1. Despite playing well, we are unable to press much in the last 15 minutes of the game. We had our chances but were unable to put the ball behind the ECA GK. The Varsity's record is 4-4-1 going into the Trinity home game tomorrow. That game will be at 1:30 pm. The JV will be a forfeit win for NW (so NO JV game tomorrow). The JV defeats ECA 0-1 and is 2-4-1 and after tomorrow's forfeit their record will be 3-4-1.