The Rusty Plough, managed by Nik Wekwerth, with assistant manager Patrick Fisher and assistant assistant manager Franco Moriconi, is fielding a strong lineup:
The manager decided to take a conservative approach and start with a 4:4:2 lineup.
In goal, we have David Forsyth, who’s making his return after being sidelined with an injury.The defense is composed of Kurt Spreyer, Jamie Cope, Roberto Viveros, and Ben Beach.The midfield features Eric Kuehnl, Steve Weinstein, Patrick James (PJ), and Jeff Faucette.Upfront, we have Peter Welch, and Dale Webber
In goal, we have David Forsyth, who’s making his return after being sidelined with an injury.
The defense is composed of Kurt Spreyer, Jamie Cope, Roberto Viveros, and Ben Beach.
The midfield features Eric Kuehnl, Steve Weinstein, Patrick James (PJ), and Jeff Faucette.
Upfront, we have Peter Welch, and Dale Webber
To our disappointment, the referee could not be persuaded to let our emeritus player, Michael Costello, play because he was not on the roster.
However, Rusty Plough faced even more challenges before the game even started, as Jose Herarte had a stomach bug, Jeremy Giovannetti showed up late, and Freddy Delgadillo arrived even later. On the other side, Raiders began the match with only seven players.
Franco Moriconi, Jeremy, and Freddy graced the bench.
It was Peter Welch who took the captain’s armband for Rusty Plough, commandeering the team to a 1 p.m. sharp kick-off. Remarkably, despite their numerical disadvantage, he managed to start the game by passing the ball to the opposing team.
In the first half, the action was intense, with both teams pushing hard. Notable moments included a shot on goal by Dale in the 10th minute, a close header by Jeff from an Eric cross at minute 15, and a couple of missed opportunities by Ben and Dale. As the minutes flew by, more and more Raiders players showed up. Soon it felt like they were at a numerical advantage, despite barely fielding a complete team.
The first half ended without any goals, but the second half brought a flurry of action.
We didn’t quite get a full 15-minute respite but the Plough was eager to take the field.
The manager decided to keep the 4:3:3 formation, brilliantly moving Freddy up to the attacking line. Soon after kicking off the 2nd half, Rusty Plough was awarded a penalty kick after a foul on Freddy in the box. Jeremy stepped up and calmly slotted it into the net, making it 1-0.
Just two minutes later, Franco provided a brilliant pass to Freddy, who unleashed an unstoppable shot to extend the lead to 2-0 for Rusty Plough.
However, Raiders quickly struck back, pulling one back to make it 2-1. Then, just 4 minutes later, they found the equalizer, leveling the score at 2-2.
The drama continued when a Raiders corner led to confusion in the box. It looked like the ball might have crossed the line, but after some discussion, no goal was given.
But Rusty Plough wasn’t done. At the 75-minute mark, Dale delivered a sensational pass to Freddy, who put his team back in front, 3-2.
Raiders weren’t to be outdone, though. Less than 10 minutes later, Jeff politely shoved a Raiders player to the ground which the referee did not appreciate, leading to a free-kick. The Raiders player unleashed a sensational shot from 30 yards, stunning everyone as the ball found the back of the net, leveling the score at 3-3.
The match continued to provide heart-stopping moments. At 2:37, a Raiders corner created chaos in the box, and it looked like the ball might have crossed the line, but Forsyth’s quick reactions (and sales savvy), and Jeff’s acting skills convinced the referee that no goal was scored.
In the dying minutes, Freddy launched an attack from the right, beating the keeper with a fantastic cross, but, unfortunately, there was no one there to tap it in, and the score remained 3-3.
What a thrilling contest, full of drama, goals, and controversy! It’s been an absolute rollercoaster of a match, and it ends with Rusty Plough and Raiders sharing the spoils in an unforgettable 3-3 draw. Thank you for tuning in, and we’ll catch you next time for more EBSSL League action.
Also, thank you to Chat GPT for taking the work out of writing a match summary 🤖
😄