It certainly felt like the first match of the season. Players grasping for fitness. Runs mistimed by a second. Passes left just behind the target. At least these things tighten up over time, and there's a lot of time to go this season.
Superior City stepped onto the field at Regis High School as a team for the first time in their history. It didn't take them long to get their first goal in club history. We were caught flat-footed when Arseno Hamilton put the visitors 0-1 up in the first minute with a trivela finish. After beating a couple defenders, he had a free hit at goal and took it with aplomb.
It only took five minutes for us to find our equalizer when David (Ripplinger) slipped David (Drafton) through on goal. Cool as you like, David finished with a deft chip over GK Dru Senich's outstretched legs.
Hamilton was responsible for the second goal for Superior and third of the game in the 23rd minute. Standing over a free kick in a central position, he cleared the wall and beat Aaron Brotzman in net.
The first half ended with a flurry of activity in our box. Brotzman was caught on the end of two hard hits from Superior players, the latter earning a yellow card for Drogba Mvogo. The teams went into half time with the visitors leading 1-2.
The score remained that way until the 79th minute when Superior scored their third through Henrico Zena. The forward dribbled past a few challenges and coolly put the ball in off the far post. The way the ball dinked off the woodwork and trickled slowly across the line summed up the afternoon: some things just didn't break our way.
Our next game, a USASA Region II Qualifier, is scheduled for Sunday, 4/23 at 3 PM. We host Honduras Majors of the WSL Majors Division in Milwaukee. This will be the first meeting between the clubs. As ever, up the Boats!