Wildcats Lose to a Talented St. Paul's Squad
We should have known something was amiss when, at the last minute, we were told to switch our orange socks to black. Coach Custer and I are a tad superstitious about our game-day apparel, so I don't know what we were thinking we should have held our ground and listened to the sage advice of Crash Davis (from the classic film Bull Durham) when he emphatically instructed Eddy Calvin "Nuke" LaLoosh to "never [mess] with a winning streak!" What were we thinking?! We ignorantly set sail not realizing what we were messing with.
Despite the gray and damp afternoon, the boys' spirits were high. The typical culinary repartee continued throughout their stretching. Yesterday's topic had shifted from the greatest cheeses of the world to the merits of stir-fry in the dining hall. Outside visitors might be aghast to hear this as a lack of focus, but for us, this produces the same adrenaline rich drive as pumped-up theme music blasting on a boom box. The boys were loose and ready to play.
We took off quickly after the first whistle. John Erwin darted deep into the defensive end and created a corner kick possibility. This was blocked and St. Paul's answered with a drive of their own. They got in close, managed to get behind our defense, drew Max out, and somehow meekly tapped the ball behind him. The ball, as if in slow motion, crawled across the line and St. Paul's was on the board with fewer than two minutes spent. There was a moment of disbelief when we wondered if we had actually seen what we had.
What followed was some of our best playing of the year. We dominated most of the play with smart passing and intense hustle. Upfront, Cam Plume worked the ball with Jonathan Li, Trong Pham, Bridger Close, and Kohki Shinohara. In the backfield, Alisdair Mac Phail, Cody Nguyen, Brian Lee, Nick Wilder, and Will Haynes did a great job clearing the ball out and reducing the shots on Max van Dijk. Eventually, Tom Huang, Amir Lesbek, and Evan Crandlemire contributed their own talents upfront in several of the melees created in front of the net. We played hard and moved the ball well, but unfortunately, with twelve minutes left in the half, St. Paul's was able to get in close, draw us out, and chip a slow lob over Max's head for their second goal.
At the half, we were still feeling good about the level of our play but were frustrated that we had let two "weak" goals to get by us. We were up for the challenge that the second half would bring; however, despite our excitement and confidence, within two minutes, St. Paul's got inside the box again and sent a well-placed shot low and to the post for number three. This result began the slow and continual leak in our mainsail.
We continued to drive the ball in and take shots. John Erwin played one of his best games of the year through talent, hustle, and pure determination. Nick Wilder, too, made his way into unfathomable spots to thwart St. Paul's continued onslaught. We were facing a talented squad and as the second half continued, they found their rhythm and kept finding our Achille's Heal: up close and in the middle. Twice more, they got within ten yards and finessed the ball behind us. All of their five goals were shot within ten yards of the net. Max had a phenomenal afternoon with sliding saves and aggressive attacks, but there was little he could do with so little time and space to react.
So, despite the lopsided looking score, the match was a good one. Both teams played very well, but St. Paul's were able to stay on the windward course, leaving us to navigate in their "dirty air." We hustled and persisted, but not with the same drive and intensity as we had displayed in the first half.
I'd love to blame it all on the socks, but they probably had nothing to do with it. However, it's a sure thing that the ties Coach Custer and I wore during the game will be retired for the season.
We look forward to playing this Friday afternoon at Holderness during the Holderness Day competitions. It should prove to be an exciting day and a competitive match.
