Game Four, Win Three, Goals Three and Four

A week ago, we hoped Emi would get a U19 home game against Ardmore followed by a U16 game at Shawnee, but for unknown reasons, the Ardmore game was canceled.

The first U16 game of the season was against Shawnee United. This game was against the Shawnee Razors. It was over eighty degrees when game started at 3:30.

This was the starting lineup:

Keeper: Ben
Defensive line, left to right: Dalton, Zeke, Tyler Taylor, Tristan
Holding mid: Noah
Midfield, left to right: Caden, Emilio, Michael

Forwards, left and right: Augustin, Bryce.

Also playing: Bennett, Tyler Walker, Hayden, Asher, and Devon.

In the first five minutes of the game, the Razors went up 2-0.

In the midfield, Emilio handled the ball masterfully and delivered skillful passes (see video below, taken 6 minutes in).

A minute later, he's doing it again.

In minute 8, he chases a ball into the left corner and delivers a backward, over-the-head pass that finds a teammate's foot, but doesn't get from there to the net.

After an own goal that put us in a 2 goal hole, Emilio takes the kickoff and does this:

To review:  after receiving a kickoff in the 15th minute, Emilio tries taking it all the way himself. Do we give him credit for eluding 5 defenders or 7 before he launches a hard kick, collects the rebound off the keeper's mitts, and sends the ball into the net for our first score?  Either way, it is one of his all-time great plays.

A minute later, Emilio weaves down the right sideline and is fouled near the corner of the penalty box.  He later reported to me that he was disappointed play was stopped because he thought he had a chance to go all the way.

Twelve more minutes pass before he makes another run down the right sideline and passes to Noah in the penalty box. Noah backheels to Bryce, who quickly gets off a shot that is blocked by an alert keeper.

One minute later, Emi tries a backheel to Noah that just misses the mark.

Emi handled all of the corner kicks and served the box flawlessly.  In the 29th minute, when he got his only chance to take the middle on a corner, he headed directly on frame, but the Razor keeper kept his net clean.

In the 38th minute, Zeke launches a beautiful through ball, and Emilio makes a run.

After Emilio's left footer finds the far corner, we go into halftime tied 2-2.

In the second half,  a gassed Emilio stays at forward, but doesn't get much action. 

In the 49th minute, Augie scores on an assist from Tyler Walker to put us up 3-2.

Four minutes later, a hard crosser from Michael on the right wing produces an own goal.

The Razors score one of their own to narrow the margin to 4-3.

Then, in the 65th minute, Emilio steals the ball, feeds Michael a through that puts us up by 2 again, and Coach Tyler moves Emilio back to center mid.

In the final minutes, Noah scores on a masterful through ball from Augie that produces the final margin of victory: 6-3.

Emilio now has 4 goals and 2 assists on the season and his teams have a 3-1 record.