SOCCER GAME SUMMARY

The long trip to Memphis headquarters was pleasant as the boys were enthusiastic and cheerful to face another team away from home with music on the background.

Upon arrival, the Tigers realized they will be playing on a football field with so many white and yellow lines which is confusing at times to figure out the boundaries. 

First half started with agony for the visitors as they haven't had time to settle and be in the game. Fair enough, lack of marking and not knowing who to mark, left players open to score 2 goals within 6 minutes of play. The coach decided to make some changes in the lineup to stimulate his team and be competitive. Now the Caro team was playing well using basic skills of passing and favoring the wings especially on the right side.  Fair enough, Sophomore and right forward Brady Rigg with the support of right midfielder and Captain Tanner Smith started crossing those golden balls to find left forward and Junior Adam Fisch who didn't hesitate to put his team on the scoreboard. Now gaining confidence,  the Tigers squad were dominating in midfield and the right side. Unfortunately,  the joy was short lived since the Memphis duo dribbled around the Tigers defense to increase their lead by 3 goals to nil. On a sprint after receiving the ball from Captain Smith,  right winger Rigg beat his opponent to be able to deliver another golden ball, this time, towards center forward and Sophomore Sang La who managed to surprise their goalie by closing the gap at 2-3. Another golden cross from right forward Tanner found La who could not capitalize and missed the shot but found left winger Fisch who shot at close range to only have the ball hit the post.The outcome of the first half could have been different if the Tigers could have started playing a strong game at the start.

The coach's speech reminded the team not to wait for 10 minutes to start playing a solid game. Obviously,  the coach was happy with the performance of his team. Junior and goalie Klayton Clish handed out his equipment to Sophomore and left defender Ethan Fellows for a substitution.

Second half started with more enthusiasm on the Caro side based on the first half performance. As the Tigers have NOT learned their lesson from first half, within 7 minutes of play, they let two easy goals go in their own net and now trailing 2-5. More changes were necessary as the coach was trying to figure out his team and its weaknesses. After rearranging the alignment, Rigg sent another golden ball past the defenders and goalie to hit the post where Captain, Sophomore and center midfielder Marik Phillips retrieved the ball to smartly placed it in the net for another goal for his 4th of the season. 

With a 3-5 score,  it seemed that the Tigers were battling to come back to the game as the opponents from Memphis played a rougher game to distract and intimidate the young team from Caro. With another opportunity to score,  one of their defenders recklessly tackled Rigg inside the dangerous box to allow a penalty kick for the visitors. Captain Phillips took it but nearly scored as the ball cruised away so close to the goal post. That would have been another come back stimulus for the visitors but in vain. Even, one of the Memphis players received a red card by running to sweeper and junior Josiah Anderson to intentionally hurt him. In the meantime,  Anderson also got a yellow card for retaliating to the aggression and previous rough play. The Memphis sensed the danger and started pressing more in the offensive zone and got rewarded with another 3 goals to finish the game at 7-3 for the hosts.

The coach was pleased with his team performance as the scoreboard didn't reflect the effort and energy his players demonstrated during most of the part of the game. Even the referees grabbed me to have a talk to command me for my young team's great performance as, at the same time, they identified lack of experience and confidence of the Caro players. They also added that this young team has great potential for the years to come.

The MVP award was presented to Captain, Sophomore and right midfielder Tanner Smith who basically contributed to right winger and sophomore Rigg getting those three (3) assists for the 3 goals scored by Fisch, La and Phillips. Smith also played a solid defensive and offensive game consistently throughout the whole game.

Next game is at home this Saturday September 26 at 2:00 pm hosting the team from Oscoda for their first confrontation.