Yesterday, I had the pleasure of watching Wilmington
Hammerheads FC battle Dayton Dutch Lions FC. I love soccer and I love the
Hammerheads, but that doesn't mean every game is enjoyable to watch. This game,
however, was very entertaining.
From the first second, it was very fast paced and filled
with action. Both teams were really pressing, and it was clear the match
wouldn’t be goalless.
The first goal finally came in the eighteenth minute from
number twenty three of the Dutch Lions. I personally wasn’t fazed by that goal
because the Hammerheads were playing so dynamically I was sure they’d be able
to at least equalize, which Cody Arnoux did only six minutes later.
The pace of the game really never did slow down after that. This
season is coming to an end. The playoffs are coming up, and every team is
giving these last few games all they can. This match was a reflection of that. There
were several chances and lots of realistic shots. It was nerve-racking because
every play could make or break the game. In just the first forty five minutes,
the Hammerheads had eight shots on goal. After half time, it was pretty much
more of the same.
There were close chances throughout the whole game, but the
next bit of significant action didn’t happen until minute eighty six. If only
you could have heard the sound of the crowd! Sunny Jane scored a goal. It
seemed like the Hammerheads had finally taken the lead and were going to get
those crucial three points, but, amidst all the cheering, the goal was
disallowed. It had actually bounced off the post and into the goal keeper’s
hands. Sitting in that stadium, it seemed as if it had thundered into the back
of the net, but after re-watching the game online, I understand why the referee
made that decision.
So then the game was back in that same spot. There was an
equal score and both teams were pushing. Eventually it came to stoppage time
and it looked as if it was going to end 1-1. Not so. A penalty was given to
Dayton right in front of the goal. It
went in, and that was the game.
There were so many
chances so many almosts but in the
words of Ariana Grande "Almost is never enough.". If the Hammerheads
had been sloppy, this loss would be easier to accept. What makes it so painful
is the fact that tonight was one of the best performances I've seen from them
all season. As Christian Davidson put it, “It was a really cruel game.”
My feelings on this particular game range from
disappointment to hope and pride. Obviously, the result is disappointing.
Regardless of what
happens next, the Hammerheads should be proud of this game. Their display of
soccer and sportsmanship was beautiful. The team performed better than ever and
that really says something considering the significant changes in the roster
that have happened in the past few weeks. In this match, I saw the same passing
and possession strategies that were implemented when the Hammers played
Richmond away, but possession was sustained throughout the game and these
strategies led to even more shots. I loved seeing those kind of plays the first
time around, and it was even better this time.
Now I'm doing all this talk of improvement, but the
Hammerheads weren't a bad team to start off with. So despite obstacles, a great
team is getting better, and I honestly believe they have the potential to be
the best. Maybe I'm delusional. Maybe I'm just an overzealous fan. But maybe
I'm not. Time will tell.
Another reason for hope is the general attitude within the
Hammerheads camp. Of course, the players aren’t happy with the result of this
game, but they aren’t giving up either. They realize they have work to do and
the plan is to just keep on going. Here’s what they had to say:
"Today was a rough loss. We really needed it but we
can't dwell on it anymore. We got four games on the road. Hopefully we can get
some points. We just gotta keep our head up really.”- Yahaya Musa
“We're in a unique situation because at the moment we have
games in hand against other teams. We have about nine games left. The problem
is a lot of those are against top teams. We need points. It's not an ideal
situation, but we do have time to make a run out of it and make a change. We
all just need to take a hard look at ourselves, just be a little more but
professional. We can’t give up penalties with just thirty seconds to go. We
have to be a little bit more disciplined, and just get on with the game. But I
don’t think were done and dusted yet. I think there’s still a lot of soccer to
be played by the Wilmington Hammerheads. It’s a bummer but we have extreme
highs and extreme lows in the season. This is an extreme low, but it just takes
one game to turn it around.”- Cody Arnoux
“We’re right there in that last playoff spot depending on
the other results tonight. We want to be in the playoffs. We have a chance to
be in the playoffs. All we can really
do is go out the last few games here and try to win a few. We’ve got a few road
games coming up that we really have to capitalize and I think we’re going to be
a playoff team.”- Matt Glaeser
“We’re going on a four game away streak, so that’s going to
be kind of difficult. But we’ve just go to grind it out. That’s what the end of
the season’s about , getting results when it matters, and we need those wins now. So that’s all were really focused on win one
game at a time.”- Drew Ruggles
“We just got to take it game by game. This one is the past
now we just go to look forward to New York next week.” –Brad Stuver
“Quite honestly a little devastated right now with the loss
tonight, but we got a good team we got a good staff so I think we can bounce
back and I think we just got to stay positive and keep working hard make a push
for the end of the season.”-Brian Ackley
“It’s a rocky road for us right now. We just have to go back
to the drawing board and work on our mistakes and our problems and try to solve
them on these games coming up.”- Jason Watson
“As we go along, we’ve got some tough games coming up so the
last three games and this game were games that we needed to get maximum points,
and we didn’t so we just have to bite the bullet and keep fighting. You never
know what’ll happen”-Andrae Campbell
As of just a few minutes ago, the result of the OC Blues v.
Richmond Kickers puts the Hammerheads at ninth place (one shy of the playoffs).
The standings in this league are extremely tight, and the Hammerheads still
have nine games to play. Anything can happen.
--Marissa
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Comments
Post a Comment