25th October 2009
Navy Punish Demoralized Hopkins
Blue Jays Superior but Lacked Killer Touch
By Chris de LaiglesiaRanked second, Hopkins had the opportunity to guarantee their qualification to Nationals by beating #3 Navy. Playing at Annapolis, the boys drove up into the Navy base and got ready for their early 11am kickoff. The early signs of winter were not welcoming, as the chilly air was not kind on our heroes' giblets, but the referees synchronized their watches and it was go time.
Although ranked so high, Navy were not the opposition that Hopkins expected. It was clear their Navy's training gave them the edge physically and mentally, but being persistent and being effective are two entirely different things. Their defensive backs were slow, and all three strikers (de Laiglesia, Macgriff and Plover) had no trouble beating them on pace alone. Ruppel and Tait battled hard against the large center-mids (who coincidentally were also the most skillful) and managed to provide the wings, Mieles and Khan, with plenty of options as Hopkins played primarily through the wings.
The game was looking in favor towards the Blue Jays until, in a fast counterattack, Navy managed to get a one-on-one against Edwards, who was unable to stop the fantastic finish, and Navy got the lead. As "In the Navy" by the Village People played on the loudspeakers, Hopkins got back to business. The defense, comprised of Hamilton, Yoo, Dunlap and Henry, were very sound defensively, and even got opportunities to run up the wings to assist the wingers. Hopkins deserved to tie the game several times, but were unable to do so before the whistle was blown for half time.
There was very little to say at halftime as Hopkins were indeed dominating play. With several changes, including Sise, Seo and Roscoe coming on, the team resumed play.
The second half did not go as well as the first half, but Hopkins were still getting the majority of the chances. Again the forwards and midfielders were attempting to find a solution to end the deadlock, but time after time were denied by the keeper, a defender or fate. The game quickly went from bad to worse, as Navy managed to get another counterattack led by their tremendously fast forward, who finished coolly under Edwards. Minutes later, Hamilton was forced to foul the same striker at the edge of the area, earning himself the yellow card. As Navy took the free kick, Hamilton and their striker both brought each other down in the area, which led to the referee giving away a very controversial penalty and sending off Hamilton for the second yellow. Navy managed to finish their penalty and the score was now 3-0.
Hopkins needed a spark, so they decided to bring on veteran Olivas, who came on full of energy determined to prove that age means nothing (even though he's only a year older). He did provide more options but as we entered the dying moments of the game, Hopkins were not able to come up with anything. Moments later, the ref called it quits, and it was game over.
With nationals at stake, it now all depends on the opposition and if Hopkins can somehow stay top 3.
