| May 8th,
2005: Hawks 5 – Reds United FC - 1
A beautiful and sunny Mother's Day afternoon
at the Soccerplex found the Hawks matched up vs. WPL rival,
Reds United. The Hawks were looking to avenge last season's
4-0 drubbing at the hands of Reds and get back in the win column
of the WPL after two consecutive losses. Reds had started the
season poorly with two consecutive losses, but had rebounded
well with consecutive victories and better form. Reds had played
a day earlier, beating Rangers FC - the first place WPL team
at the outset of the weekend - and the Hawks knew they were
in for a competitive battle. In a game that saw the Hawks grow
ever-increasing momentum, the Hawks were able to step up and
earn a convincing 5-1 victory over their opponents.
To the game - the Hawks started slowly but were able to mount
increasing pressure after the first ten minutes and take control
of the midfield. However, it was the Reds who struck first by capitalizing
on a long ball that was coughed up by Hawks keeper Anthony Peters
who rose high to grab the ball, but lost possession after being
clipped in mid-air and landing on his back. The Reds were able
to tap in for the 1-0 advantage. Instead of hanging their heads,
the Hawks played some brlliant soccer, epitomized by striker Jono
Drysdale's creative spark off the bench, and found the equalizer
only minutes after the Reds score. A nice left sided cross from
flanker Kevin Koitz was controlled on the far side of the box by
center midfielder Mike Golman, who was able to slide the through
ball to a streaking Jono Drysdale who met the ball just before
the Reds keeper for the equalizer. Game tied up at 1-1 at the 32
minute mark. Five minutes later, Jono's presence was felt again
as he was able to draw defenders to him at the top of the box before
passing to colleague Craig Cochran, who pushed the ball to one
side of his defender and sent a curling, driven, left-footed shot
passed the outstretched arms of the Reds keeper and into the upper
90. Hawks up 2-1 at 39 minutes in and that's how it stayed until
halftime.
The second half began and the Hawks picked up where they had left
off. Possession and creativity in the midfield was ours on the
day. The third goal came in fantastic fashion off a Kevin Koitz
corner kick into the heart of the Reds defense. The driven ball
was skim-headed away by a Reds defender, only to settle on the
onrushing foot of outside back Jon Knight for a textbook one-time
volley finish that dipped into the far upper 90 from 18 yards out
at the 55 minute mark. It was a great finish, but the Hawks were
not done. Alan Golden split two defenders in the 65th and slotted
the ball to a wide open Justin Bodiya who slapped a well-struck
finish into the Reds net from 14 yards away. The best was saved
for last as Alan Golden finished a sweet sequence of passing by
running onto Geoff Thompson's assist to smash a laser with ridiculous
velocity into the near post upper 90 from 20 yards out. Hawks up
5-1 in the 75th and that's how the game ended. Great response from
the guys to last Saturday's disappointing result vs. Glover Park,
particularly in the absence of the key squad standouts Todd Leber,
Doug Henry, Mike Williams, Will Phouminh, Matt Carroll, and Irving
williams. The Hawks next face WPL newcomers St. Ides in one week
(May 15th) in a 5 PM game at Soccerplex Field #8.
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