By Enno Behrens, Summer Times Staff Writer
Two games, one great comeback and one great defeat for the Exeter Summer Soccer Team last week and this.
The first match was on Monday, July 15, against the Exeter Regular Session Soccer Team. Already in the first minute it became clear that this opponent was way stronger than the Exeter High School Team, against whom the Summer Team had played the last two matches. As they are having daily training sessions during regular session they were used to play with each other and could play better together, but they also had the better single players and were physically superior on many positions.
After 10 minutes the Regular Session Team took the lead after a counter attack and a flat cross from the right side. The striker just had to push the ball into the goal. The keeper had no chance. Only 5 minutes later the Summer Team tied it up surprisingly after Carlos Yanes got the ball alone in front of the goalkeeper and scored. For a long time it looked like the Summer Team could keep the score until halftime, but shortly before halftime the Regular Session Team scored after a long pass and a beautiful lob shot over the goalie. The score at half time was 2-1 Regular Session.
In the second half the Exeter Summer Team had to concentrate on defending most of the time and managed to keep the score until the 65th of 80 minutes. That was the point when the team totally fell apart and lost its motivation. Also, the players were exhausted from the physically tough game, duels and the high temperatures. Between the 65th and 69th minute the Regular Session Team scored three times to make it 5-1.
In the 75th minute they made it 6-1 after a beautiful volley shot. Shortly before the end, the Summer Team got its last chance to score but the goalkeeper saved the 1 vs.1 duel. In return, the Regular Session Team scored a seventh goal in the 77th minute. Then the game was finally over.
Although a defeat for the Summer warriors, most of the spectators stayed until the end to support their team. Despite the drubbing, the players still learned something. “I’m happy about it, that all the Germans on the soccer team have the feeling of losing 7-1”, joked Thomas Silberberg from Brazil after the game, hinting at the World Cup clash between Germany and Brazil in 2014 that ended 7:1 for Germany.
The next game was on Monday, July 22, against the Exeter High School Team again and it was even going to be more spectacular than the last one. This was the chance to erase the memory of the last game, and collect positive experiences.
In rainy and cloudy weather the game started even worse than the first one. Already in the 7th minute Tobias Gray scored an own goal after he tried to clear the ball that slipped over his foot and landed in the Exeter Summer Team’s goal. In the middle of the second half the Exeter High School Team scored again after the last defender lost the ball and the striker went into a 1vs.1 against the keeper to score through the goalies legs.
As the Exeter High School Team scored its third goal, just after the 2nd half started, everything looked like it was going to be another embarrassing defeat for the Summer Team, but after substitutions were made by the coach the team regained its courage. Shortly after the 3-0 Luca Crimi made a great run through many defenders and scored. A few minutes later Hermogenes Lopez made it 3-2 with a shot in the top left corner, and only 3 minutes later, Enno Behrens made the comeback perfect, after he got fouled in the box and scored the following penalty in the bottom left corner.
The score was now 3-3. In only 10 minutes the Team had caught up. The game got really exciting now. The High School Team upped the pressure again and went really close to score. First Emerson Goodell cleared the ball on the line and in the next attack the goalie kept the score with a great save. Nevertheless the joy didn’t last long as the High School Team finally found the goal after a cross from the right side and a volley shot under the crossbar, 4-3.
Still, the Summer School Team didn’t give up and went to attack again. As a High School defender played the ball with his hand in his own box after a corner, they got another penalty. Tareq Alayli took it and scored in the bottom left corner to equalize again. But still the game wasn’t over and 2 minutes before the end, the Summer Team got a big chance again, that the goalie saved with a good reflex. The Summer Team stayed in possession and Hermogenes Lopez scored again with a shot from the right side in the top left corner, 5-4. For the first time in this game, the Exeter Summer Team took the lead and that’s how it stayed until the end. Out of three games against the High School, the Exeter Summer Team has won two now. The next matches will be today, Thursday, July 25 and on Monday, July 29. Come over and support your team!