From Coach Ed Berberich: The Soccer Aces traveled to Harrisburg Saturday morning to face off against the Bulldogs, losing 9-0.
The game was scoreless for the opening 15 minutes when the Bulldogs scored to take the lead. They would add a 2nd goal in the 20th minute. In the 25th minute the bulldogs scored on a free kick after an injury stoppage, then added a 4th goal shortly before the 1st half ended. For the match, the Aces took 6 shots on goal, had 3 chances & 3 interceptions. Eli Baker had 4 saves in goal until he had to take a seat due to a leg injury. Ezio Bisogni had 1 save in goal. Harrisburg took 13 shots on goal, 11 on frame.
The first 25 minutes or so was the best we've played so far this season. We let some goals in but we're doing a better job of limiting the opponent's shots & our offensive attack was more consistent. The 13 shots were the fewest we've given up so far this season, and the 6 shots were the most we've taken. But the 3rd goal was really what killed us. The game was stopped for an injury & both teams went to the sidelines while the trainer came out & looked at the injured player. Instead of a proper restart the referee allowed a Harrisburg player to take the free kick on an open goal before both teams had fully taken the field again. We didn't respond well to that & we lost our focus. This type of game could really be a blessing in disguise though, because for us to become as good as we think we can be eventually, we're going to need to learn to play through adversity for a full 80. Overall it was an encouraging game even though the scoreboard didn't show what we would've liked. We showed more offensively than we had to date, we just need to keep working on being consistent in our play & not letting our focus lapse because of things that aren't in our control.
The Aces are in the midst of their tightest stretch of games, traveling to Robinson Monday night, then hosting North Posey on Tuesday.