Cataraqui Soccer Club

Cataraqui II  1 vs The Keg 1

There were no mosquitoes at Willy Pratt field.  (It is always good to start on a positive note.)  It was, however, cold and dark.

Nonetheless the boys in black put up a stalwart performance against the fast-flowing Keg team.  The Keg used the advantage of local knowledge and the short field to keep Rick Pierce and his defense on their toes.  It was nice to see Max Steele and Ben (The Barge) Bowen providing relief for Rob McDonald and Ross Morton.  Rick pulled off a number of fine saves and was promptly off his line to close down attacks.  Joel Badour again had a great game covering back for his defense as the Keg players ran through.  Dave (Peripatetic) Rossborough and Kevin McEleny were all over the field too.  Also on the field a lot was Coach Kennedy who seemed determined to get himself a card prior to going “away” for three weeks.

Cataraqui II employed hit and run tactics which, in retrospect, may not have been the correct approach for the conditions.  Few chances were made in the first half, but Dino Laurie, Tiago Caldas and Jonathan Baldwin gave the Keg defense plenty to think about.

In the second half, Cataraqui II reverted to a 4-4-2 formation with Ross Corcoran in front of James McIntyre.  The defense seemed to settle to this more familiar style, but still had to deal with frequent onslaughts from the Keg boys.  Solid midfield play from Peter Boyle, Bernie Harpell and Tyson Boehme kept things sane.

Ross Corcoran broke the deadlock with an opportunistic goal which looked (from my vantage) as though it went in off the post and the Keg ‘keeper.  It was a good lesson in perseverance.  The Keg team kept up the pressure throughout the second half, and were rewarded with an equalizer mid way through.  A well taken goal with few complaints from the Cataraqui II defense who were caught a little square (not for the first time: but the only time we were penalized.)

Jonathon Baldwin had a few exciting flashes in both halves, but turned his ankle in the second half and had to go off.  Shortly thereafter, the Keg goalkeeper mysteriously dribbled past his own defense and lost the ball out of play.  With the ‘keeper stranded near the sidelines, Tiago Caldas (who appears to have gotten the hang of the off-side rule) took a quick throw-in to Peter Boyle who calmly lobbed the ball into the net. The linesman’s flag was up for a foul throw.  After much discussion with the referee the consensus was that Tiago had one foot off the ground when he released the ball (another rule for him to learn.)  Peter had another effort hit the crossbar late on, but in the end a draw was a good result for Cataraqui II.  The Keg will probably think they deserved more from the game.

Many thanks to the fans who came out on a chilly night (with no hope of getting to the pub afterwards) to watch and provide moral support.  The cries of “powder-puff” and discussion of the merits of Fat Bastard wine (see: http://www.clickwinegroup.com/fatbastard/) were much appreciated.  Coach Kennedy has upped the weight loss requirement to 300lbs after Dave Rossborough volunteered to shed 30lbs himself (the first 10 will be when he gets a haircut.)

The next game is against Kelsey’s United at Caton’s Pasture 1 on Tuesday 27th at 6:30 pm.  Coach Armstrong will be in charge, and by the sounds of things, will have a smaller squad to choose from.

Ross Morton