Announcement
Shnitzel Hawk Soars But Ouzo Falls in Season Opener
Posted by Rob Anderson on
Oct 15 2006
at
05:00PM PDT
SOCCER CITY, ETOBICOKE - Two top class finishes from Jesse Geisel were not enough as Ouzo FC were handed their first defeat of the season at the hands of newly named Mirage.
It was a season opener filled with excitement, new faces, old faces, and room for improvement as Ouzo look to rebound in two weeks time. Player Manager Rob Anderson took his perch behind the Ouzo bench for the first time and seemed disappointed, yet ambitious as he saw his player’s early one goal lead drift away in the second half.
After starting the game at a fairly subdued pace, it was Ouzo FC who broke the nil –nil deadlock. A Jesse Geisel patented toe poke from just inside the white line seemed to catch the Mirage goalie off guard as it flew into the bottom corner. After the opening goal the pace of the game seemed to intensify, and Ouzo’s confidence looked to rise as the first half came to close. But it was Mirage who would find the back of the net 5 minutes before the end of the half putting the two teams on equal terms going into the second half.
Mirage would ride their momentum as the 2nd half began and managed to find a second goal just 4 minutes into the half, giving them their first lead of the game. Colin Wright, Ouzo’s first team goalie, unable to catch up the fierce power of the opponent’s shot. Wright would find his game though, making several very difficult saves keeping the game at just a one goal deficit. The Ouzo players would build on this, and it was the savvy play of 3rd year player Mike Michaelides that would see Ouzo equalize mid way through the half. An intelligent play along the boards by Michaelides saw him maneuver his way up the field with a sequence of one-two balls before slotting home a rebound to open his account for the season. It would be all Mirage after that, as a break down in the Ouzo defense allowed Mirage to take their second lead of the night. Shortly after, continual questionable calls against Ouzo Big Man Steve Delaney allowed Mirage to capitalize off an ensuing free Kick. The goal brought Delaney into an uproar as he and the Ouzo players argued their case about the inconsistent calls. But it was Delaney who would be singled out, yellow carded and then subsequently red carded for repeatedly arguing his case. A 5 minute penalty would put Ouzo on the back foot for the majority of the game, but as usual, Ouzo’s heads would not drop and with 4 minutes remaining a clever wall pass from Stuart Fletcher would find the feet of Geisel camped out front of the goal. Cool and calm, Geisel would slot it past the goalie to give him his second of the night.
A late goal from Mirage cancelled out any hopes of a come back, as Ouzo FC would fall 5-3 in game that showed signs of potential but just missing those little things. With several players missing out of the line up, Ouzo is looking to gain from their loss and build as they play Lakeshore United in 2 weeks time.
Other notables, Victor Santos made his Ouzo return after a 4 year lay off due to a knee injury. The quick footed Midfielder was once the Ouzo go-to man up front with Gus Polymerus and player/coach Anderson hopes he can bring back the same spark that he once brought.
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