League

Hopewell
Spectators: 6843 (Terracing: 5000, Seating: 1841, VIP seats: 2) The sun was shining, the grass was green and the audience cheered when Dallas Caudill got the match started through his kick off. Earnest Haas took a chance and fired a shot far from the goal in the 4th minute, but it turned out to be a dangerous situation for Hayden Larson. Hopewell AFC's goalkeeper really had to stretch himself to stop the ball from crossing the goal line. Hopewell AFC's Hayden Larson played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Dallas Caudill in the 5th minute of play. 7 minutes into the match, FC Lepanto 71's goalkeeper Noe Wolf had to clear away a ball on his right side after a cunning shot by Vito Pryor. With a little luck, FC Lepanto 71's Noe Wolf got control of the ball when Vito Pryor tried to sneak it across the goal line. 9 minutes into the game, Hopewell AFC's Vito Pryor nearly tore a hole in the net with a booming shot. Noe Wolf made a valiant effort, but he could not reach the ball in time, 1-0. Noe Wolf made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Zachary Fischer in the 15th minute of play. 18 minutes into the match, Dallas Caudill notched a goal, 1-1, to the right of Hopewell AFC's Hayden Larson. Hayden Larson was clearly disgusted with the effort of the defense and let the defenders know about it. After a rather tough play, FC Lepanto 71's Emmanuel Cousteau got a free kick in the 23rd minute. In the 28th minute Victor Stratton shot on, it seemed, an open goal, but Hayden Larson saw the ball coming and threw himself on it before it passed the goal line. After a defensive mix-up in Hopewell AFC's zone, Emmanuel Cousteau stole the ball and had only the goalie to beat. Hayden Larson came out of the goal and Emmanuel Cousteau tried to chip the ball over his head. To his dismay, the ball went over the crossbar and out of play. Hayden Larson showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Malcolm Faure, who was totally free with the ball in the 32nd minute. In the 33rd minute Raymundo Belisle shot on, it seemed, an open goal, but Hayden Larson saw the ball coming and threw himself on it before it passed the goal line. The referee was alert and spotted a serious foul by Guillermo Barrette during the 36th minute. The player immediately received a yellow card. FC Lepanto 71 made a substitution. Matt Medrano replaced Victor Stratton. In the 36th minute, one of Hopewell AFC:s players had the ball in front of the goal but got pushed and fell. The referee felt it was an obvious case and blew a penalty for Hopewell AFC. Matt Medrano blasted a shot towards the goal in the 45th minute, but the shot hit the top of the crossbar and went out without Hayden Larson having to make a save. If Emmanuel Cousteau had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 46th minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. Even after changing tactics the home team jogged off the field with a 1-2 deficit. They would have to work harder if they wanted to turn things around in the second half.

With a little luck, Hopewell AFC's Hayden Larson got control of the ball when Emmanuel Cousteau tried to sneak it across the goal line. Noe Wolf showed brilliant goalkeeper skills when he caught the ball after a hard shot from Vito Pryor in the 56th minute of the match. Hayden Larson took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Malcolm Faure, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. Thanks to some nice foot action and superb ball handling Zachary Fischer in the 62nd minute a chance for a shot on goal. With an extended leg and a bit of luck Noe Wolf prevented the ball from getting in the gole. Dallas Caudill in the 66thth minute had a little luck and got a chance for a shot in front of the goal. Without hesitation aimed to the right of Hayden Larson, who managed to lunge to the right direction and made a save. A collision led to Hopewell AFC getting a freekick after 73 minutes play. Cliff Knapp hit a great ball. Emmanuel Cousteau fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 75th minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Hayden Larson having to interfere. Cliff Knapp scored 2-2 in the 83rd match minute with a shot that went into the goal to the right of Noe Wolf, who was just a little too slow in reacting to the shot. 88 minutes into the match, Dallas Caudill dribbled the ball past the defender and swiftly kicked the ball to the left of Hayden Larson, 2-3. A collision led to Hopewell AFC getting a freekick after 93 minutes play. Oren Cabrera hit a great ball. FC Lepanto 71's Malcolm Faure couldn't find anyone to pass the ball to, so he shot a long shot towards the goal in the 94th minute. The shot went wide which resulted in a goal kick for Hopewell AFC. When the match was over FC Lepanto 71 could go home with a victory in their luggage, having controlled the game far better than Hopewell AFC throughout the match.