Deus ex machina

The Wildcats traveled to Deerfield, Massachusetts, for the first of four away games. The Eaglebrook campus was filled with parents and family, and the weather was perfect. A quintessential late fall day perfect for Soccer. The game was a disappointment. Maybe KUA was suffering from a long bus ride. Maybe the Eaglebrook players were looking at their long weekend that would start as soon as the game ended. Whatever the cause, neither team seemed sharp, and there were several periods where both teams were just kicking the ball as hard as they could and hoping something good happened.
Grumpiness aside, there were some bright spots. There were points where the Eaglebrook players strung four and five short passes together to move the ball up the field; there were good saves from both goalkeepers; Eaglebrook alum Yohan Do consistently played well in his KUA uniform; and each team managed one strong goal off shots from at least 30 yards away. The Wildcats struck first when Amir Lesbec chipped the ball over the Eaglebrook defense and into the top corner of the net. The half ended at 1-0, but Eaglebrook tied things up with a long shot of their own seven minutes into the second half. John Erwin created some good chances, and then Jon Li scored from in close to put the Wildcats back on top. Eaglebrook responded with genuine intensity, and Nick Wilder, Will Haynes, and Brian Lee each made great defensive plays to limit their shots. Max van Dijk was strong in the net, and his punts routinely went beyond the mid-field line, but, in the closing seconds of the game, KUA was called for a foul and Eaglebrook was awarded a penalty kick. They scored. The ref instructed KUA to take a kick-off but then blew his whistle to end the game the instant the ball was put in play.
This is KUA’s second tie of the season – ironically, the tie against Holderness also featured a late penalty kick goal (this time scored by KUA.)