September 2007 Archives
by Gene Merrill
Helped by returning veterans Tosh Ashtombe and the Amazing Kentner Brothers, as well as a new acquisition with more than a bit of flash and sparkle on the ball, UHAC carried over a strong finish from last season to squeak out a win vs. a rival cup opponent to open the Fall futsal season.
The boys in green began the game with a flurry of goals-- the always energetic Josh Berezin breaking the seal for the Honkies and newcomer Peter Harkema putting in two more. UHAC eventually climbed to a 4-0 start, giving keeper Gene Merrill dreams of a 1st half shutout.
However that flame was rudely extinguished as the Achilles heel of UrbanHonking AC (its occasionally porous defense) was exposed for the next 30 minutes of play. Multiple attacking Dudes were allowed a free pass behind the backline as UrHo refused to stay marked up, and the Dudes were able to tighten the score to 7-6 by the half. If not for the woodwork the score may have even tilted in favor of the Dudes as their finishing was just a smidge off the mark, and Merrill had more than one lucky save including a freak rebound that landing neatly in his curled legs whilst he desperately tried to locate the ball from a seated position. The defensive woes continued early into the second half as The Dudes managed to tie it 8-8 on some nifty passing in the final third, finding net in a variety of ways, including off the keeper's face (provoking some colorful language from Merrill that was thankfully ignored by the ref).
To their credit, UrHo never surrendered a lead, and with Merrill screaming for defenders the dynamic international Gil (aka "Frenchy") teamed up with the Kentner duo to keep the shots to a bare minimum. Finally The Dudes' shallow bench began to show as play slowed and fortune once again shone on the Honkies. Berezin used his trademark speed to pressure the tiring Dudes all over the court, and turned a long, hopeful throw by the keeper into a beautiful assist by heading it smartly across the field to Gil's waiting foot.
The game ended with a dramatic flair as the Dude keeper sent a long throw into UH's final third in the dying seconds. Berezin marked the Dude's star striker very tightly but he managed to get a head to the ball as the buzzer sounded, sending it into a slow motion volley that found the onion bag just beyond Merrill's outstretched fingers. Thankfully, UrHo had its insurance goal in place or that freakish goal would have cost them dearly. Final score 11-10, and the Honkies were once again able to salt their post-game beers with the sweet spice of victory.