Sunday Aug 4 Semi-Final v. Larkhall

Semi Final v. Larkhall United 3-0
The 9am match meant another early breakfast for the boys but this time they were well rested. The night before, Matt escorted them to the Player’s Disco and returned 25 minutes later to make sure they went to bed at a reasonable hour.

Larkhall was a tough competitor. Through most of the first half the teams were evenly matched and neither goalie saw much action. That changed toward the end of the first half when Alex’s free kick went into the box and Jherson drove in the header.

Matt’s rousing half-time talk (“It’s a battle!") did the trick because Fusion dominated the second half, taking shot after shot, wearing down the Larkhall keeper. The insurance goal came when Sam ran up the left side of the field, passed to Eric K who tapped it to Mitch who drove it into the left corner, deflected off the goalie and in. His first goal of the tournament, Mitch’s victory lap led him to the sidelines where he high-fived his parents.

Xavier moved and placed the ball well. Eric M single handedly stopped several defenders who couldn’t get around him. Andrew and Jherson’s speed were put to the test as Larkhall sent the ball deep but they only managed one shot on goal with Matthew making the save. Jason came close to scoring his first goal of the tournament with a line shot that went just wide.

A few amusing aspects of the game included Austin defending a lad who was twice his height. He held his own. While waiting for a corner kick, Jackson was in position in the box with his arms up in surrender while a defender kept shoving him from behind, but the ref ignored it . The Fusion's tenacity left Larkhall scratching its collective head.

The Erics sealed the victory. Moreno sent the ball into the box and Kinderman chipped in the goalie’s rebound.

Next match at High Noon against the storied Rangers.