Bethesda Internationals

20 May '06. Only 3 weeks ago, Inter faced the tenacious and hard-working MSC Badgers in Round 3 of the MD State Cup, which was tied, 1-1, in regulaton before going into 2 x 10 min. OT periods. Inter came away with a 3-1 win, but did not underestimate the capability of the Badgers as a serious force to be reckoned with in today's match at Avenel. The MNPPC fields in the upscale Avenel neighborhood are atrocious at best for playing good touch soccer with barren, dirt patches and clumps of grass strewn in between shorter grassy areas. It was one of those 'bounce of the ball' matches that could go any which way for either team at anytime. Just 2 minutes after kick-off, following an attack by the Badgers, Inter defended well, took control of the ball and countered with an attack, sending a strong ball upfield to the right where Glenn collected the ball and lofted a nice serve into center of the box to Vitalis about 8-10 yards out. Vitalis collected the ball, turned and sent in what would be the only goal of the match for either team. Inter managed 5 shots on goal, 4 of which were close-in and coul'dve/should've gone in. And, Inter created 3 corner kick opportunities which were unsuccessful, and committed 6 fouls (including 1 handball). Ben played up top and received a nice pass from (?) about 3/4 through the 1st half, dribbled upfield on a run to work his way into the box about 4-5 yards out from the goal, facing the keeper and was about to shoot when it appeared that he was tackled/fouled from behind -- but no foul called by the center official. Inter's defenders played strong, limiting the Badgers to just a single shot on goal with no corners, while committing 4 fouls. Although the Badgers were able to break through the back line a couple of times, Inter quickly closed to challenge and possess/clear the ball away. The second half was controlled by Inter for the most part, with 6 shots taken on goal with a couple of close headers that missed their mark. The Badgers gained some momentum and pushed the ball upfield on several occasions, but Inter's defenders were up to the challenge and successfully cleared the ball away each time, limiting the Badgers to 2 shots on goal which went awry and 1 unsuccessful corner kick, and they committed 8 fouls (inclulding 1 handball). An own goal by the Badgers was almost a score for Inter when their defender attempted to head the ball out/away, it deflected backwards instead, just past the outside of the right post. The match ended, 1-nil, Inter. The Badgers and Inter will play again in the Potomac Memorial tournament next weekend. It will not be an easy contest for Inter to be sure, but the turf at the Poolesville Polo Grounds should be in much better condition than Avenel, which should be to Inter's advantage with their finesse passing style.