Honey Badgers Beat Austin Athletic Club 2-1 To Move Into First Place

It’s seventh heaven for the Honey Badgers as they beat Austin Athletic Club 2-1 yesterday to take sole position of first place headed into the Spring Season!

The two table leaders suited up for a winner-take-all game for the top of the division. Austin Athletic Club has always been a pesky opponent, especially when they stock their roster with the pick of the litter from their Premier team. This game was no different, as they had at least 3 of their top-tier performers on hand. And with Cameron Road shorthanded missing midfield lynchpin Ciro, defensive stalwart Billy, team pit bull Dermot and goal scoring machine Steve McKenna, the rest of the Honey Badgers would have to step it up to get a result.

Dressed in their Sunday Blues, Cameron Road took the field and had some nice touches. Ryan and Z started the game up front, trying to soften up the AAC defense. After 10-15 minutes, the game was pretty even. As Gigi entered the game for BT, Ryan dropped back into central midfield and the suave tactical nuance immediately paid dividends as the Italian Stallion scored immediately with his first touch of the game. Gigi stole the ball near the center of the pitch and raced towards goal, beating the keeper with a low drive from the right hand side. 1-0 Honey Badgers.

Other early highlights included Ryan and Gigi linking up with some nice one-two football, and BT lofting a perfect pass to Jefe on the right hand side where he was just offside.

Although they took the lead, for most of the game CRU was defending. They couldn’t seem to hold onto the ball for long spells, but their team defense was solid and they relied on their blistering counter attack for opportunities.

Next up was a silky goal supplied by the reining team MVP. Peterson played a ball down the right hand side and as Luke gathered the ball deep in the corner he sent out a series of non-verbal telepathic signals to Chappy about his intentions. Sorting through the signals (which also included the delicious sights and smells of his Grandmother’s freshly cooked biscuits, and something or other about Wi-Fi) Chappy knew exactly what the plan of action should be and made a run to the back post. Chappy introduced the business end of Luke’s deep cross to his forehead and put it past the keeper for a 2-0 lead.

With a two goal advantage midway through the first half, Austin Athletic Club turned up the heat. They were bringing some serious pressure but Jay was up to the task, making two absolutely world class saves to close out the first 45 minutes. Both saves saw him dive to his left and palm some wicked shots over the bar.

The Honey Badgers were given a halftime treat as Adam’s Mom supplied the troops with oranges and cookies – which, as everyone knows, is a Honey Badger’s favorite meal next to a dead cobra.

With the second half underway, Austin Athletic Club got back to trying to get a grip on the game. They had the majority of the ball for the half, trying desperately to grab a goal. Jay was called up on to make another magical double save and along with his other heroic defenders kept Cameron Road in the game.

Goal scoring opportunities were hard to come by in the second half for Cameron Road, but they relied on their counter attack. Gianluca and Andy worked the ball down the left and Gigi had another half chance from a breakaway. Cuyler sent in a free kick to Andy who would have been clear on goal, but he was incorrectly ruled offside. And BT ghosted through the middle of the park and scooped a shot over the bar. Other than that 5 minutes worth of play, it was back to defense for the Honey Badgers.

Austin Athletic Club were getting desperate, and the attacks, free kicks and corner kicks were coming with alarming regularity. With about 10 minutes to go they pulled one back with a break away goal setting up a frenzied finish. But the Honey Badgers wall of defense stood firm and saw out the victory, their seventh in a row. And with the final game of the fall campaign complete, they found themselves in familiar territory – at the top of the table.

Man-of-the-Match: No question, without Jay’s immense four-pack of saves, they Honey Badgers are not in first place today. Fantastic stuff from the Cameron Road pipesman.