On Wednesday night, the Manual boys varsity team defeated Male, with a score of 4-2. The match consisted of various tough battles for the ball, fouls and yellow cards. The Crimson Crazies also designated the game as a black out.
First Half
The game started with the Crimsons gaining control of possession of the ball, and consistently maintaining it on Male’s side of the field. Things took a turn, however, when Male scored the first goal of the match.
“The first goal was just disheartening,” assistant coach Enrique Calderón said.
However, the Crimsons were quick to get the ball back and multiple attempts on the goal were made before the team was able to secure Manuals first goal, scored by Nolan Stevens (#12, 12) with assistance from Ibrahim Piracha (#10, 12).
Shortly after that the Assistant Coach Sawyer Doggett received a yellow card for not staying clear of the sidelines, which interfered with the referee. This was one of the various yellow cards given through the crimsons.
“The referee performance was pitiful,” assistant coach Calderón said when asked about his opinion on the various “horrible” calls made.
After, Hamza Barbour (#26, 10) attempted to score, but was unsuccessful. Piracha, however, ended up scoring the Crimsons’ second goal of the night.
The first half ended with a score of 2-1, Manual in the lead.
Second Half
The second half started off strong with Manual’s offense coming in hot. Piracha attempted on goal, again, and Manual dominated the field. Male then received a foul resulting in a free kick for Manual. Grant Rogers (#20, 11) got shot at goal but it went over on the right side of the goal. However, Harrison Jeffreys (#29, 11) scored the Crimsons’ third goal of the night with an assist by Piracha.
“I think it just took us a second for us to get in the game, but once we did, we just like connected passes,” Jeffreys said about the team’s performance.
Shortly after Soloman Tandy (#22, 10) suffered a cramp and the game took a short pause. Though with a significant lead, various more goals were attempted, including a header by Yassin Mohamed-Hassan (#19, 12).
Towards the end of the second half, Male began taking back the ball and moving up the field. Piracha didn’t let that last long, though, as he ended up scoring the final goal of the match.
“I did good in seeing where the defenders were, their movement and capitalizing on their mistakes,” Piracha said about what he believed helped him succeed in making two goals and two assists.
However a penalty against Manual finalized the score as 4-2, allowing Male to score one more time before the whistle was blown.
The Crimsons’ next game will be an away game versus Trinity on Saturday Aug. 24, at 12:30 pm.
