Weak First Half Too Much to Overcome for Short-handed Lions

It was Cornerstone's Senior Night as the Master's School Lions arrived at Kennedy Park for the much-anticipated rematch of the early season victory. The short-handed Lions arrived with several key players unable to compete and nonetheless set themselves to trying their best to compete against the team they had dispatched 2-0 earlier in the season.

Sunny afternoons after cold days can so often make for lazy soccer, and this match was no different. Master's failed to establish themselves physically in the game, allowing Cornerstone to play exactly the way they wanted to throughout much of the first half. Cornerstone's characteristic passing attack cut through the Master's defensive lines and created several dangerous scoring opportunities. None of these would manage to find the back of the net however, and it was two slow dribblers that somehow managed to get past to open a 2-0 halftime lead for the home team. Gage Arnold, Dom Bergantino, and Tommy Yawingu stepped in admirably to shore up the back line in the match.

Having dug themselves into a hole, Master's had their work cut out for them in the second half. A renewed emphasis on physicality and playing disruptively allowed the Lions to swing the momentum in the second half, as their aggressive defense in the final third forced Cornerstone into bad passes, which in turn created good scoring opportunities for Master's.

Master's finally broke through when Christina Volpe managed to score directly off a corner, curling the ball just inside the front post off and of the keeper's hands. This goal seemed to wake up the visitors, who began to attack with renewed energy. Man of the Match Michael Baah-Minkah was all over the field chasing down defenders, using all of his energy in chase. This finally paid off as Michael poked the ball away from a Cornerstone player 25 yards from goal. The ball landed directly at the feet of striker Ben Frey, who deftly lofted a kick over the outstretched hands of the Cornerstone keeper and into the back of the net for the equalizing goal.

What followed in the next 10 minutes was the most tense and physical minutes of the season thus far, as both teams struggled to maintain possession, to control the pace, and to break the tie before the final whistle. Captain Will Frey led by example in this, sacrificing his body to give his team a chance. A high level of physicality was allowed to continue from the officials, and an unfortunate penalty kick was awarded to Cornerstone after much confusion and deliberation from the refereeing crew. Cornerstone's tall striker found the side netting for what would become the winning goal.

To their credit and to the pride of their coaches, Master's did not let this break their spirit, but instead attacked with renewed energy, finding chance after chance in the final 10 minutes. Captain Owen Gray found winger Patty Marcolesco for a header which barely missed wide in what would have been an equalizer, but which was the best executed set piece of the game. Several similar oppurtunities presented, but in the end the first half defecit was too much to overcome and TMS had to settle for only the moral victory of a second half well-played.