Rockhurst

Game 2 (1-0-1)
1 September Rockhurst at Saint Thomas Aquinas (2-2, 2 OT)


This was just a great high school soccer game that just did not want to end. Several Saints put in the full 100 minutes.

Rockhurst did graduate one heck of a team, but they have reloaded and gotten a lot younger. Their freshman keeper played the whole match, and he played well. 

And speaking of keepers, Andrew Seger was magnificent. He made a few remarkable saves when we needed them most. Rock scored at the end of the first half when we just quit defending in the middle of the field (and to our midfield's credit they were almost flawless in the second half and in overtime). And Rock scored their final goal when we absolutely did not compete on a long deadball where we allowed a ball to reach feet and be squared across the face of the goal. Andrew couldn't have saved either of those. 



We went up early on a nice diagonal ball from Ryan to Ethan near back post. And then we found ourselves down 2-1 in the second half when Kitts drove his right-footed corner to back post for a Young header to tie it.



Will Fleming gave us some great minutes at right back tonight, and when his legs gave out a bit, Murray picked up where Will left off and finished the match strong.

Both Kitts and Swags just missed winning the match in overtime. Kitts lefted a rocket in the first overtime that their frosh made a big-time save on, and he was able the gather it just before Liam's follow.



Near the end of the second overtime Swags hit one just wide off the back post, missing by inches. 

But this was just a battle all night. Take away our 10 minute break from defending the midfield, and you would have had a hard time finding many moments where both teams were no busting tail to get to every ball, tracking back defensively immediately after losing it, just laying it all out there. Major props to our backline of Welsh, Weinrich, Bjorseth with Fleming and Murray! Superb.



Offensively, we still are not attacking the baseline consistently enough, but it is something we look to improve on this coming week.

Welsh and Weinrich interview.




We rest and video tomorrow and come back from Labor Day weekend to play in the Blue Springs South tourney where we will play Blue Springs South on Tuesday and Lee's Summit on Thursday. So couple of tough matches next week.

STATS:

First Half:

Saints: Shots: 4 (2) Corners: 3 (Young 2, Kitts) 

34:39 Young (Ryan grounds a diagonal ball to the back side)

Hawklets: Shots: 4 (3) Corners: 0

1:57 Anielak (Kante  rotates ball to the weak side for the open look)

Second Half and 2 Overtimes

Saints: Shots: 11 (7) Corners: 2 (Kitts, Swags)

18:28 Young (Kitts bends it left for a Weinrich hit off the bar followed by the Young header)

Hawklets: Shots: 7 (4) Corners: 2

22:49 Poynter (Kante lifts the deadball into the box for the Gaarder square pass)




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