| September 12th,
2004: Hawks 1– ABGC La U – 1
The Hawks opened up the Fall
campaign with a late afternoon showdown against La Universitario
at the MD Soccerplex. With a handful of new faces making their first
appearance on the roster and despite the absence of some key players,
the team was eager to open up the Fall season with a bang. Striker
Craig Cochran made his first appearance with the Hawks since going
down with an ACL in the first game of the Spring 2003 season. Newcomers
Chris Douglas and Jamie Pettengill were making their Hawks debut
in the defense and midfield, respectively.
The game opened up with both
teams feeling each other out. The Hawks had a great chance in the
opening minutes of the game when middie Jamie Pettengill found the
ball at the top left corner of the La U box, danced around a defender
and sent a shot just wide of the far post. The rest of the first
half saw limited chances by both teams until the 30th minute when
midfielder Alan Golden was able to take advantage of a soft pass
back to the opposing keeper, poke the ball around him, and convert
the Hawks first goal of the season into the open net off a tough
angle. A nice unassisted goal. Halftime score, Hawks - 1: La U -
0.
The Hawks lead was short-lived,
however, as in the first 5 minutes of the second half, a series
of defensive errors left a La U forward open to exploit a missed
clearance and slot the ball on the ground past the outstetched hands
of Hawks keeper Pierre Fults. The rest of the second half saw both
teams with some threatening opportunities. One sequence of nice
passing found the ball at the fett of Hawks striker Geof Thompson
in a dangerous position in the opposing box. His shot sailed just
over the crossbar. In the 80th minute, the La U defense sent a wide
midfielder to space with a ball chipped over the defense. The La
U middie was able to win the ensuing battle with outside defender
Jon Knight and turn the corner and send a dangerous ball across
the mouth of the Hawks goal. The ball was sent behind the streaking
La U strikers, who were unable to take advantage of the opportunity.
THe Hawks pressed hard in the remaining 15 minutes of the game.
One more solid opportunity
for both teams occured prior to final whistle. Goalkeeper Pierre
Fults made a spectacular save off a point blank La U shot after
a threatening sequence by La U. Not to be outdone, the La U keeper
made a fantastic save of his own off a well struck blast by Hawks
striker Craig Cochran, who rifled a shot after running onto a ground
pass inside the opponents box. With the final whistle, the final
score was set at 1-1. While the tie was dissapointing, the assimilation
process of the new players has gotten well underway. Alan Golden
gets game MVP for the goal and a solid all-around game in the central
midfield. Craig Cochran gets the honorable mention for pestering
the La U defence all game long. The Hawks will look to take advantage
of Washington Premier League newcomers, Quilmes, next week.
--
Other WPL Scores on the week:
Glover Park - 4, Dyamos -
3
Rangers - 4, LCC International - 2
Village Settlements - 2, Reds - 0
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