CRU 2 – INDIOS 1
On a sweltering summer afternoon in July pushing tripple digits, Cameron Road United defeated the elder statesmen of Indios 2-1 for their second win in a row and fourth of the summer season. It was a difficult game to get a handle on as the mullet-lead defense of Indios employed a Spanish ‘keep away’ style from the opening whistle. Their back passing and constant short passes might have served to frustrate the attacking Cameron Road initially, but it was a strategy that would be tested for the full 90 minutes as Cameron Road waited for an opportunity to pounce on a mistake.
The early play saw Cameron Road on the attack, Willis and Chappy were prowling around the box hoping to latch onto an errant back pass; BT, Chris and Scott controlled the center of the pitch, and a strong back line of David, Bob, Crosley and Pat made sure no Indios player came within 40 yards of Jay. But Onion Creek can be a funny place. Against the run of play, one ill-timed back pass led to a quick goal from Indios, and under the blazing Texas sun, it was Cameron Road who were suddenly feeling the heat.
Not to worry though, as Cameron Road continued to dominate possession of the ball and looked for the tying goal. Steve McKenna was his usual self around the box, creating space for himself while using the Indios defenders as dribbling cones; BT, Chris and Scott blasted shots from midfield; Dr. Sherry looked like he was out for a leisurely stroll in the park as he probed the defense; Luke, Way, Andy and Billy paved the highway on the edge of the field, and even Stripey had a pop or two come off the post.
About midway through the half, Cameron Road finally broke through with a spear through the middle of the Indios defense as Pat pushed forward and released Ryan in the middle of the box. Ryan was able to get off his shot just before hurdling the keeper to put CRU back on level terms. Willis, feeling the power of his former self in the new yellow jerseys, continued to tap into his rich vein of form with his 3rd goal in 2 games. Word on the street is he’s 5/1 to win the summer ‘golden boot’.
As the half wore on, Cameron Road continued to dominate but couldn’t make things happen close to goal. Jay was forced to make a rare, but brilliant diving save, as the defense continued to deal with the sporadic Indios long ball attacks.
The go-ahead goal looked to be on the books as Stripey looped a ball over Grey Mullet and into the lap of Captain Chappy. The Captain channeled his inner Cassio and proceded to dribble through several defenders only to be left with the keeper in his sights. But, in a sudden altruistic moment, he instead passed the ball to Willis on his left who cooly sloted the one-timer past the goalie for what was though to be his second of the afternoon. Unfortunately, goal-line technology has not been implemented at the Onion Creek Soccer Complex and Willis was called offside by the referee… who was standing at midfield. Perhaps an opportunity squandered for the boys in yellow.
At halftime, the 16 brave souls and their spectators huddled under the shade of the tent, re-applied sunscreen, and tried to reduce the effects of the heat with frozen bandanas.
With the exception of the one timely and unfortunate attack, Indios hadn’t had much luck going forward, but they pressed hard at the start of the second half calling Crosley into duty early and often. As cool as the other side of the pillow, Steve thwarted their attacks time after time along with Bob, Pat, David and new left back Andy. At one point Bob showed off the “stinger,” pushing a ball out of bounds with his tail whip.
Jay made another diving save and Indios actually managed to hit the post, but again it was Cameron Road who took control of the game and waited patiently for the winning goal which was always coming. Billy and Scott did a nice job of keeping the play alive on the right side of midfield, digging the ball off the line and sending it upfield to Chappy on the right flank. Chappy spoted Mckenna on the other side of the pitch and sent in a long cross to the forward who was able to play it into an onrushing BT. Although not one of his typical laserbeams, BT managed to scuff a shot through the arms of the Indios keeper and sent Cameron Road back on top as the ball inched into the back of the net. A great team goal for sure, and CRU never looked back.
As the day wore on, the heat and humidity continued to rise and Cameron Road almost scored again when Scott stole the ball in midfield and caught the keeper way off his line. His long range shot came off the side netting, but the referee had again blown his offside whistle moments before under much protest from Cameron Road. There were other good momemts as Bob and Stripey managed to send in good crosses and McKenna and Willis continued to torment defenders.
The day ended with a victory for Cameron Road, although it was not as easy as many had thought it would be heading into the match. For the second week in a row they were victorious in their new uniforms, feeling the power of yellow and blue in their feet and the pull of the mighty tree line in their hearts.
Man-of-the-Match: In the heat, it wasn’t a day where individual efforts stood out so much. With Indios slowing down the play to a crawl, everyone had to work hard and wait for the scoring opportunites to come. So this week the coveted award goes to the new yellow and blue uniforms. With one exception (uh huh… Andy…) it was a glorious sea of gold, blue and white that dominated play in glorious dryfit technology and style.
