Northland Pines Soccer Falls to Xavier and Shawano

We played our second game of the year in Mosinee versus Xavier. They were a senior heavy team and played a formation very foreign to our boys.  The flooded the midfield and could string passed on a consistent basis.  We still played stiff and struggled to strong passes in this game.  A through ball in the late part of the 34 minute opened up the scoring for Xavier.  We answered with two solid attacks that the Xavier keeper literally grabbed our forward to prevent goals in both occasions.  I know these are tough calls to make because your giving a red card and a PK, but you cannot protect a keeper with rules but allow them to take out players when they are in a clear scoring position.  It’s really about safety.  This would have put us up 2-1 at half and then down men, but instead we traill 0-1 at half.Early in the second half AJ Muench cross the ball to an attacking RJ Martinson who flicked the ball over the keeper and tapped in the back of the net tying the game at 1.  The deeper team showed as fatigue set in and just shy of the 71 minute another through ball found the backside of the net.  Pines tried to push the game offensively to make a push and tie the game and gave up a late third goal.  Xavier is a good team but reminiscing last year we let that game slip out of our fingers.  I am a bit concerned about the corners we gave up which was mainly because of lack of composure in the defensive third.

Shot Pines 7 Xavier 17

Shots on goal Pines 3 Xavier 9

Corners Pines 1 Xavier 13

Fouls Pines 7 Xavier 9

Saves Milo Albrecht 6

In the second game Pines faces Shawano. We started out strong passing well and playing the ball wide forcing their d to chase.  In the first fifteen minutes we had five near misses and two breakaway attempts. 15 minutes into the half keeper Tyler Busha demanded the ball in a scrum for the ball and the ball slipped out and behind him slowly rolling towards the goal, Carson Adomovich working hard to try and recover and keep it out of the net saved it with his hand.  The refs conferences and gave Carson a red card for stopping a clear scoring opportunity and he was out for the game.  A PK was awarded and Shawano jumped out to the early lead 1-0.  We go down a player and if you are a glass is half full type of guy, thos kick started the Pines team and even being down a man we dominated possession and scoring opportunities right until the last ticks on the clock, but unable to convert.  The silver lining is last year we did not offer much of a scoring threat all year and this year I’m both games mounted solid offensive threats and I know we will start converting!

Shots Pines 13 Shawano 9

Shots on Goal Pines 6 Shawano 4

Corners Pines 3 Shawano 6

Fouls Pines 7 Shawano 5

Saves Tyler Busha 3