| May 23rd,
2004: Hawks 3 – Glover Park – 1
The Hawks took the field on
Sunday, May 23rd against Glover Park, the current WPL league leaders.
Glover had beaten the Hawks 3-1 in a pre-season matchup, and the
Hawks were ready to avenge this loss and the unfortunate result
against La U just days before. The weather was extremely humid and
hot for the match, with temperatures above 90 degrees necessitating
a strong sub rotation. With three subs more than their previous
league matchup vs. La U (zero subs), the Hawks were hoping to remain
fresher and avoid the frequent last minute collapses that had plagued
them against other teams this season.
The game started with intensity,
as Glover tried to take advantage immediately with a quick attack
down the side of the pitch as a Glover striker tried to dribble
through the entire Hawks defence and almost succeded, only to find
his shot go wide. Quickly recouping, the Hawks controlled the rest
of the first half with crisp passing and nice combinations. Mike
Williams, Doug Henry, Alan Golden, Irving Williams and Geof Thompson
enjoyed great chemistry with small, effective passing combinations.
In the 15th minute, the Hawks almost struck first when striker Yuri
Sudhakar found himself alone in the box and launched a shot that
seemed destined for the edge of the goal mouth but somehow ricochetted
off the left post. With the Hawks in control of the game, Glover
was able to strike first on a counter attack. The Hawks central
defense was playing an offsides trap as a Glover midfielder sent
a long ball to a streaking forward. While the Hawks defense looked
for the offsides call, there was none and the Glover striker strode
to goal with an easy one vs. one against Hawks keeper Anthony Peters
who was helpless to prevent Glover from taking the advantage. Halftime
score, Glover 1 - Hawks - 0.
The Hawks hydrated at halftime and were
focused on continuing to play the good style they had enjoyed in
the first half, confident that the results would come. The second
half found both teams pressing, but with the Hawks building more
threatening possessions while Glover relied on the long ball to
it's tall striker core. John Stephens and Vince Laporta, the Hawks
central defenders, were animals all day long and seemed to win almost
every headball that came their way. This allowed most of the play
to be concentrated in Glover's half and at midfield. The Hawks came
close in the 55th minute when Geof Thompson was able to shake two
defenders, whirl around and send a driven cross through the heart
of the Glover box to a diving Scottie Hamilton. The diving header
was struck with intense velocity, but was just wide of the Glover
goal. The Hawks continued to press however, and in the 60th minute
Alan Golden was able to knock the ball past the last Glover defender
and beat the Glover keeper to the ball, resulting in a foul and
penalty kick. Alan knocked in the penalty with ease and the score
was tied up at 1.
Glover pressured hard for the
go-ahead goal, but the Hawks pressed back, and another superlative
effort by Alan Golden resulted in a hard foul at the top right edge
of the Glover box. Doug Henry's free kick was beautifully struck
- a swerving, driven shot to the left upper 90 that left the Glover
keeper with no chance. Hawks up 2-1. While Glover tried hard to
threaten, it was the Hawks that were able to net the insurance goal
off of an impressive sequence of one time passing that found Geoff
Thompson receiving the ball from wideout Marcos Araus at the top
of the Glover box and pressing in to nail a booming shot low and
hard near post in the 83rd minute. The rest of the game found Glover
pressing for an equalizer and the Hawks looking to run out the clock.
All in all, a great effort against a solid team. The result speaks
volumes on the quality of the Aegean Hawks side when all key players
show up to play. Moreover, the win insured that the Hawks would
remain in the Premier for the Fall season - a feat that has been
difficult for teams promoted from the First division to accomplish
in the last several seasons. A win against league rivals World Bank
on June 13th could also grant the Hawks a berth in the coveted Terrill
Cup and a chance to play at RFK stadium prior to a DC United match.
With that game three weeks away, the Hawks will endeavor to stay
fit to gain the proper result.
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