League

West Linn Park
Spectators: 5000 (Terracing: 4000, Seating: 1000, VIP seats: 0) The field was rather wet after several days of rain when Moses Goodman took the kick off in the first half of the match. Sam Pickett showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Moses Goodman, who was totally free with the ball in the 4th minute. Thanks to some nice foot action and superb ball handling Moses Goodman in the 6th minute a chance for a shot on goal. With an extended leg and a bit of luck Sam Pickett prevented the ball from getting in the gole. Boyd Avalos showed brilliant goalkeeper skills when he caught the ball after a hard shot from Fernando Pelletier in the 8th minute of the match. Moses Goodman was extremely unlucky when he, in the 9th minute, took a shot that hit the right post and went out. After 11 played minutes Essex FC got a freekick which was hit by Marc Rich. Sam Pickett made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Damien Silva in the 12th minute of play. Sam Pickett made a fantastic save in the 14th minute, when Troy Lester sent off a good shot on target. Sam Pickett took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Terry Dias, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. Rosario Bain hit a great freekick 17 minutes into the match. Sam Pickett showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Moses Goodman, who was totally free with the ball in the 20th minute. With a little luck, Essex FC's Sam Pickett got control of the ball when Troy Lester tried to sneak it across the goal line. Vance Tucker took the ball and in the 24 minute, shot a rapid shot to the right of a surprised Boyd Avalos. Boyd Avalos dived to the right, and did manage to get a hand on the shot, but it still went into the right corner making it 0-1. After some fancy dribbling in the 27th minute, Ricardo Hadley managed to get in a good position for a shot. Essex FC's supporters rose to their feet, but Ricardo Hadley was a bit off balance and shot the ball just wide of the left post. Boyd Avalos breathed a sigh of relief and went to take the goal kick. Boyd Avalos showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Vance Tucker, who was totally free with the ball in the 28th minute. West Linn AFC's Shawn Sorenson shoveled away a really nice long shot in the 30th minute of play. The shot was stopped by Sam Pickett but with some difficulty. Vance Tucker blasted a shot towards the goal in the 32nd minute, but the shot hit the top of the crossbar and went out without Boyd Avalos having to make a save. Alan Edmondson fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 33rd minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Boyd Avalos having to interfere. When the match had gone on for 37 minutes, Vance Tucker put it in 0-2 from a short distance just to the right of Boyd Avalos. After a defensive mix-up in Essex FC's zone, Wally Kennedy stole the ball and had only the goalie to beat. Sam Pickett came out of the goal and Wally Kennedy tried to chip the ball over his head. To his dismay, the ball went over the crossbar and out of play. Essex FC's Fernando Pelletier got a good chance for a goal in the 47th minute, but he totally mistimed the shot and it went over the crossbar. After the first half Essex FC were leading 1-2. They had played with great self confidence throughout the first half and fully deserved their lead.

After having played for 52 minutes, Terry Dias managed to get in a good position for a shot on goal. West Linn AFC's supporters crossed their fingers, but Terry Dias was, after a quick turn that froze the defenders, out of balance and shot the ball just to the right of the goal. 56 minutes into the match, Essex FC's goal looked a bit too open when Troy Lester came free, but Sam Pickett reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. Sam Pickett showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Terry Dias, who was totally free with the ball in the 65th minute. West Linn AFC's Boyd Avalos proved his good apprehension of play when he, in the 66th minute of the match, managed to save West Linn AFC from getting a goal against them. Troy Lester received a nice pass in the box and took a hard shot in the 68th minute. Sam Pickett tensed up and prepared to dive, but the shot went over the goal with him having to interfere. After a rather tough play, Essex FC's Arthur Baird got a free kick in the 69th minute. In the 71st match minute, West Linn AFC was awarded a freekick, the ball was picked up by Moses Goodman to maneuver through the defense. After some fancy dribbling in the 72nd minute, Fernando Pelletier managed to get in a good position for a shot. Essex FC's supporters rose to their feet, but Fernando Pelletier was a bit off balance and shot the ball just wide of the left post. Boyd Avalos breathed a sigh of relief and went to take the goal kick. When Fernando Pelletier came up free with the goalie in the 77th minute, the Essex FC fans jumped to their feet. But the shot missed the goal by a fraction of an inch, and the fans sat back down disappointed that Fernando Pelletier couldn't finish the play. Rosario Bain hit a great freekick 83 minutes into the match. In the 95th minute, Ricardo Hadley hit a crossing free kick to the open man running down the field. The West Linn AFC fans had already started to leave before the final whistle blew. Essex FC were clearly better and deserved to take the win.