We played a good team game against Medfield on Sunday, but a comedy of errors in defence and host of spurned chances up front made our task more difficult than it needed to be.
We started solidly and took an early lead when Karsten latched onto a ball spilled by the Medfield keeper. We were completely in control of the game but our lead lasted perhaps ten minutes. The Nahanton surface is seldom what can be described as smooth, but after the weekend's rain it was quickly cut up in the opening minutes. When Schecht, 25 yards from our goal and under light pressure, played the ball back to Mike, it bobbled a couple of times and Mike mistimed his clearance. The ball went directly to a Medfield player on the edge of the box who promptly scored.
Five minutes later Tom was dispossessed on the right just outside the box and the ball was quickly crossed into the penalty area. Mike blocked the first shot but the rebound was pushed into the net. It could have got worse shortly afterwards when a Medfield forward volleyed a shot from 10 yards, but Mike made a fine reaction save with his knees.
We started to come back into the game when Gary was fouled in a central position as he ran towards the Medfield penalty area. Pedro hit the free kick low around the wall into the right corner. Shortly afterwards he hit the crossbar from an almost identical situation.
Medfield took the lead again when Gary's clearance only reached the edge of the box. An accurately hit shot was curled around Mike and into far corner. We were back on level terms shortly before half time when Andy released Samuel on the left and Gary was first to his looping cross, thumping a shot into the roof of the net.
Medfield tired in the second half and we maintained fairly constant pressure, but couldn't convert our chances. Pedro twice headed wide from decent positions, and Gary also powered a header off the mark. Samuel hit the top of the crossbar after a smartly taken indirect free kick, and drilled a shot just wide of the near post from Ivan's low near-post cross. Finally, we regained the lead when Gary hit a free kick that the keeper spilled, and Steve G was perfectly placed to tuck away the rebound.
Desperate for an equaliser, Medfield pushed forward and created a few half chances, but some dour defending kept them at bay. With five minutes remaining they were still pushing to level the scores, until Mike Althcek started a move that wrapped up the game. His pass straight up the middle found Samuel unmarked just inside our half, and the Bionic Man ran with the ball towards the Medfield goal. The keeper raced off his line and saved Samuel's shot on the edge of the area, but the rebound fell to Karsten, who calmly lofted the ball over the keeper and into the goal.
Squad: Mike O, Mike A, Schecht, Tom, Tim R, Pap, Gary, Peter, Steve S, Andy, Ivan, Karsten, Steve G, Pedro, Samuel
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