| June 5th,
2005: Hawks - 2, Dynamos - 2
The
Hawks faced off against old WPL rivals Dynamos on a searingly
hot June afternoon at the MD Soccerplex. The Dynamos have been
one of the areas best teams for many years, garnering several
State and National Cup (state-level) titles. With the Hawks’ convincing
4-2 victory the season before in recent memory, the game was
sure to be a competitive contest. The matchup marked the debut
of striker Carlos Garcia, beginning his comeback from an ACL
injury sustained in training with the Baltimore Blast. The Hawks
were hopeful that the former (and future) A-League standout’s
presence would add to the already capable Aegean Hawks scoring
machine. Player/manager Jon Knight arrived 15 minutes before
kickoff (after driving 6 straight hours from his 10 year college
reunion), relieved to see a full squad waiting for ensuing kickoff.
To the game. The game started
in good fashion for the Hawks, whose nice interplay resulted
in several golden
scoring opportunities.
Carlos Garcia was sent for an uncontested one-vs.-one with the
Dynamos keeper, but somehow was unable to convert in the 10th minute.
The Hawks took a blow when team MVP Alan Golden had to sit after
20 minutes after breaking his toe in two places during a tackle.
A more than capable Doug Henry replaced his former William & Mary
teammate in the lineup to orchestrate the Aegean Hawks attack.
In the 22nd minute, Mike Goldman failed to convert his own one-vs-one
opportunity with the Dynamos keeper. Flanker Todd Leber missed
a shot from 8 yards that normally would have been an easy conversion
in the 25th. Tough luck for the Hawks who at this point of the
game had the bulk of the good opportunities. The worst blow, however,
came in the 25th when center back Yuri Sudhakar rose to meet an
oncoming ball and collided headfirst with his colleague in the
central defense, John Stephens. Yuri lept to meet the ball from
the side and John jumped straight on, unaware of his oncoming teammate.
The colllision left Yuri's face a purple mess as he sustained
his fifth major concussion, his fourth with
the Hawks.
Seeing our good buddy be carted
off into an ambulance left the Hawks determined to get the outcome
he would have desired. However,
it was the Dynamos made us pay for the previous lack of conversion
with a
goal
of
their own
when
their
center
midfielder was able
to smack a driven
shot from 15 yards past the outstretched arms of Hawks keeper Anthony
Peters in the 30th. The Hawks pressed on with their attack and
were rewarded when striker Geoff Thompson was able to punch a ball
to the side at the top of the box, looking to connect with Mike
Goldman who had made an overlapping run to Thompson’s right.
The pass was a little ahead of Mike, but he managed a great effort
to strike the ball over the rushing Dynamos netminder and into
far side of the goal. Game tied 1-1 at the 35th minute and that’s
how it stayed til halftime.
The second half was a heated
battle. Both teams had good opportunities, mostly on the counter.
The Hawks took
control of possession after
the first ten minutes or so and really started to apply good offensive
pressure. Our efforts were finally rewarded off another breakaway
opportunity which found striker Carlos Garcia attacking the goal
from the right flank. His recognition of his teammates position
left him placing a perfect pass across the mouth of the goal to
a streaking Geoff Thompson who was able to bang the goal in with
ease and give the Hawks a 2-1 advantage over their rivals in the
70th minute. After the score, the Hawks didn’t show much
cause for Dynamos to believe they were going to find the equalizer.
Probably the best possession play of the day for the Hawks between
the 70th and the 80th minute of the match. However, the momentum
was reversed towards the end of the game and Dynamos was able to
mount wave after wave of attack. Keeper Anthony Peters made a couple
superlative saves and the Hawks were well on their way to the victory.
However, in the 83rd minute, the Dynamos were able to launch a
counter attack up the left flank and slot a penetrating through
ball to their streaking center mid at the top of the Hawks’ box.
While the Hawks central defender was marking, he left more space
than desired and the Dynamos player was able to turn and chip our
keeper for the equalizer. The rest of the game found good opportunities
for both teams, but the result stood. Tied 2-2.
The result left the Hawks
with no chance to claim the WPL title. However, the team had
it’s best season in years finishing
with a record of 5-2-2 in the always demanding WPL and tied for
second place. With the best goal differential and the most productive
offense, the players know that they’ve only scratched the
surface of the team’s potential and the future is indeed
bright for the side. Expectations are high, and the Hawks will
look to establish themselves with a victory in the playoffs and
a finals berth at RFK stadium pitch after a DC United game in the
Fall. With several players leaving the squad, the team is looking
to pick up a couple of new additions to continue the recent trajectory
of the club.
Other WPL Scores on the Day: (Next three weeks
added)
Glover Park 4, World
Bank 0
Quilmes 2, Reds United FC 2
Glover Park 5, Quilmes 4
World Bank 3, Village Settlements 0
St. Ides 3, World Bank 3
Village Settlements 8, St Ides 1
Rangers FC 4, Glover Park 0
Rangers FC 3, LCC International 3
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