MUTINY 1 SOCCERPLUS 0

By Michael Cohen
Soccerplus CT Reds vs. New England Mutiny 7/27/08
Game Time – 2:00 p.m.
Weather – Warm, Overcast

The Reds had beaten the Mutiny twice already this year: 3-1 on June 13th and 2-0 on July 18th. Unfortunately, the third time proved the charm for the team from Massachusetts, as they escaped with a hard fought one-goal victory.

From the opening whistle, the Mutiny came out quickly and had several early opportunities. Forward Erin Gatto and midfielder Meghan Schnur took shots in the fifth and sixth minutes respectively, each time striking the ball over the crossbar. Schnur in particular was a factor all game long on set pieces. In the 9th minute she took a free kick from twenty five yards out that was just inches over the goal.

It wasn’t until the 22nd minute that the Reds had their first true chance of the match, a well-placed cross into the box that was headed away by a Mutiny defender.

“We talked about that, not letting them get off to an early start. We wanted to be the team to establish our game. I think that was important because we knew that if they lacked the confidence from the beginning, they couldn’t put us back on our heels,” said Mutiny coach Tony Horta.

In the 35th minute, Reds forward Tiffany Weimer received a punt from goalkeeper Jill Mastroianni in the attacking third of the field. Mutiny keeper Chloe Beizer was off her line, but Tiff’s chip went just wide on the right side of the goal.

Shortly thereafter, the Mutiny had their best chance of the first half. Meghan Schnur played a cross into the box from the left flank, and a scramble ensued right in front of the goal mouth. After a few tense seconds, Jill dove on the ball to end the opposing attack.

The first half proved to be incredibly physical as well. The Reds committed twelve fouls in the first half compared to just three by the Mutiny. Nonetheless, the teams went into halftime deadlocked at 0-0.

For the second game in a row, the Reds came out firing in the second half. In the 48th minute, Becky Ryan stole the ball from the Mutiny’s left back, Meg Cuinningham. Dribbling along the end line, Becky played a ball back into the penalty area for Maggie Tomecka. Maggie’s shot was pushed away by Beizer, and Manya Makoski’s rebound sailed over the crossbar.

In the 50th minute, the Reds had beautiful combination play inside the Mutiny 18-yard box. While shielding a defender, Maggie Tomecka played a back-heel pass through to Tiffany Weimer, but Beizer made the save.

While the Reds dominated the opening part of the second half, the Mutiny had a successful counter attack in the 57th minute. Mary Frances Monroe played a ball through to Erin Clark, who slid it past Jill Mastroianni into the left side of the net.

Said Horta, “We know that if we isolate Clark one-on-one she is going to get goals. We knew they were going to bring high pressure to try and get an early goal and try to take our psychological point away. We just had to hang in there and try to counter.”

But the Reds weren’t going to go out without a fight. In the 60th minute Tiffany Weimer lined up a free kick from 20 yards out, just to the left side of the goal. She bent the ball around the wall, but the ball ripped off the crossbar and out of harms way. Just two minutes later Becky Ryan took a shot from 25 yards out that had Beizer beat. Unfortunately, the ball flew just over the crossbar yielding only a goal kick.

From this point forward, the Mutiny focused their efforts on working the clock. The Reds kept the pressure on but to no avail. They had one last chance in stoppage time, but Katie Schoepfer’s through ball was just behind Tiffany Weimer.

The final whistle signaled the end of the Connecticut Reds season, as the Mutiny came out on top 1-0.

The Reds finished their 2008 season with a record of 13-1 and an East Conference North Division Regular Season Championship.

“We came into the season with the goal of making to California, so we’re a little disappointed. To lose one game isn’t the end of the world. The unfortunate thing is that this is the game that mattered. For the players on this team, they’re missing the mentality to win, something that the Mutiny has,” said Reds Assistant Coach Lisa Cole.

She explained, “I think they just needed to believe in themselves a little bit more. We knew we could play with them, you saw that in the beginning of the second half. At this point, we still need to prove that we can bring our A-game when things matter. Hopefully we will be able accomplish that next year.”

First Half:
–

Second Half:
MUTINY            56:26            Erin Clark, Assisted by Mary Frances Monroe
 

CT Starting Lineup:
GK: Mastroianni
D: Makoski, Sutton, Cross, Walden
M: Weimer, Igwe, Blayney
F: Tomecka, Edwards, Knowlton
Head Coach: Lisa Cole
Subs: Riemer, Frobey, Halasz, Hilt

Statistical Summary: NE / CT
Shots: 15/12
Saves: 4/3
Corner Kicks: 4/3
Fouls: 9/12
Offside: 0/0
Records: 11-2/13-1