League

Fighters Arena
Spectators: 7736 (Terracing: 5803, Seating: 1779, VIP seats: 154) The sun was shining, the grass was green and the audience cheered when Curt Finch got the match started through his kick off. Curt Finch kicked well hit freekick during the 4th minute of the match. When ALBEAGLES FC's Nelson Pineda in the 9th minute got a chance for a shot 9th didn't hesitate and placed the ball to the right of the goalie. A beautiful save bye Croatian Fighters FC's goalie prevented a goal. After having played for 11 minutes, Nelson Pineda managed to get in a good position for a shot on goal. ALBEAGLES FC's supporters crossed their fingers, but Nelson Pineda was, after a quick turn that froze the defenders, out of balance and shot the ball just to the right of the goal. Nelson Pineda fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 13th minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Neal Vickers having to interfere. After having played for 15 minutes, Nelson Pineda managed to get in a good position for a shot on goal. ALBEAGLES FC's supporters crossed their fingers, but Nelson Pineda was, after a quick turn that froze the defenders, out of balance and shot the ball just to the right of the goal. Neal Vickers showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Nelson Pineda, who was totally free with the ball in the 23rd minute. Neal Vickers made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Maxwell Street in the 26th minute of play. The audience was convinced that Curt Finch's extremely hard shot when he got free in front of the goal was going in, but Neal Vickers was relentless in the 27th minute of the game. When ALBEAGLES FC's Curt Finch in the 27th minute got a chance for a shot 27th didn't hesitate and placed the ball to the right of the goalie. A beautiful save bye Croatian Fighters FC's goalie prevented a goal. In the 30th minute, Clark Palmer hit a crossing free kick to the open man running down the field. Nelson Pineda recieved an excellent pass in front of the goal in the 31st minute. Unfortunately, he received the ball on his off foot and could only manage a weak shot that went over the goal. The ALBEAGLES FC fans' excitement grew in the 33rd match minute when ALBEAGLES FC's Curt Finch looked to have a clear shot with the ball near the goal. The shot wasn't hard, but the ball still rolled over the goal line to make it 0-1 before the goalkeeper had a chance to intervene. Curt Finch sent away a hard shot on goal in the 36th minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance. ALBEAGLES FC's Nelson Pineda got a good chance for a goal in the 37th minute, but he totally mistimed the shot and it went over the crossbar. When the match clock showed 39 minutes, the score became 0-2 when Curt Finch sped through Croatian Fighters FC's defense and sent away a curving shot that went into the net to the right of Neal Vickers. After 44 minutes of play, ALBEAGLES FC's Nelson Pineda made it 0-3 when he simply outclassed the defender marking him and hit a curling shot into the right side of the net. Neal Vickers was left in no man's land by his defense there! In the 47th match minute, ALBEAGLES FC was awarded a freekick, the ball was picked up by Frankie Elmore to maneuver through the defense. Even after changing tactics the home team jogged off the field with a 0-3 deficit. They would have to work harder if they wanted to turn things around in the second half.

Both teams looked relatively alert before the second half when the referee blew his whistle to tell Benito Cermak to make the kick off. An unexpected shot in the 55th minute by Nelson Pineda got the crowd on their feet, but to their dismay it went out on the left side. Duane Busby sent away a hard shot on goal in the 58th minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance. Nelson Pineda who was well placed in front of the goal fired away a dangerous shot that in the 62ndth minute tested the skills of Neal Vickers when he managed to save the team from getting behind. Curt Finch sent away a hard shot on goal in the 64th minute, but the ball hit the crossbar and went out. A very good chance for a goal. 66 minutes into the game, one of Croatian Fighters FC:s players got tackled near the goal, and the referee blew for a penalty. Nelson Pineda fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 74th minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Neal Vickers having to interfere. ALBEAGLES FC's Dan Savage played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Duane Busby in the 77th minute of play. The supporters of ALBEAGLES FC booed when Croatian Fighters FC was adjudged a doubtful freekick after 87 match minutes in a wonderful position. Woody Aviles didn't get a good kick on the ball. Neal Vickers showed brilliant goalkeeper skills when he caught the ball after a hard shot from Curt Finch in the 89th minute of the match. After a defensive mix-up in Croatian Fighters FC's zone, Maxwell Street stole the ball and had only the goalie to beat. Neal Vickers came out of the goal and Maxwell Street tried to chip the ball over his head. To his dismay, the ball went over the crossbar and out of play. The Croatian Fighters FC fans had already started to leave before the final whistle blew. ALBEAGLES FC were clearly better and deserved to take the win.