"Can't Get No ..."

KUA’s rematch against New Hampton showed why Soccer can be a frustrating game even as it is an exciting one. The first match at New Hampton was very even, with KUA prevailing 1-0 on a goal that Cam Plume headed into the net off a perfect direct kick. The rematch, played on KUA’s Pope Field, was much more lopsided. The Wildcats controlled the play, and there were lengthy sections of the game where the ball never approached KUA’s half of the field. The Wildcats earned over ten corner kicks, for example, but were simply unable to get the ball past the New Hampton keeper. KUA consistently controlled the ball, passing through the middle, and used both sides of the wide turf field effectively. Cam and Trong worked smoothly together to bring the ball up the right side; John Erwin’s corner kicks were a sight to behold; Jon Li had some great chances, including one shot that hit the goalpost; Kohki was very strong along the left sideline; Cody had several impressive long shots; Alisdair and Will were strong on defense; Bridger, as usual, was the dominant player in the middle of the field; Amir and Evan played well as outside midfielders; Yohan had several great opportunities; Tom showed good vision, moving the ball to the corner on several occasions; and Nick had an impressive day at sweeper, clearing the ball well up the field whenever New Hampton tried to get into the Wildcats’ end. Max Van Dijk was strong in the goal when he needed to be and earned his sixth shutout of the fall. There was only one thing KUA didn’t do, which was to score, and the tally at the final whistle remained 0 – 0. KUA dominated the game, but New Hampton did what they needed to do to keep the Wildcats away from their goal. Both teams played hard, with very few fouls called throughout the game, and it is too bad that the teams will not meet for a third time this season.