CRU 5 – Champion Toyota 3

Cameron Road United pushed their win streak to 5 games with a 5-3 win over the Champion Toyota Jaguars. An uncustomary early start for Cameron Road had everyone setting their alarms early for this 8am affair. And right from the start, CRU flexed their muscle with Ryan Willis scoring within minutes of the kickoff. With a long throw in from the right hand side, Luke’s ball bounced right through the Jaguars defense and Ryan tapped in a Clark Field hopper with his first touch of the game. 1-0 Cameron Road within minutes.

The lead was doubled not too long afterwords as Luke drove in another powerful header from Chris Peterson’s curling corner kick. Chris was fresh back from a month on the shelf and his play down the right hand side was already starting to pay dividends.

Also coming back from a few weeks in the homeland, Dermot inserted himself into the game and instantly was his usual pesky self, digging out balls and refusing to be out hustled.

The score could have been 3-o if not for Chappy booming it over the crossbar in an obvious offering to the tree line in lieu of personal glory. In order to harness their sacred powers, debts must be repaid.

As Cameron Road controlled the game, Chris Peterson again played in Stripy  on the right hand side and finally showed his Clark Field self with a vicious shot that left the keeper with no chance from 25 yards. A great goal by the hustling Bosnian sniper.

At 3-0, Cameoron Road might have taken their foot off the gas for the last 15 minutes of the half, feeling like they had the game already sewn up. The Jaguars bounced back with two goals of their own to make a game of it. Still, after the half and the close score, Cameron Road still had the better chance of coming out ahead.

With Andy taking himself out of the game due to a thigh injury, CRU only had 2 subs to rely on for the second half. Leif fell back to central defense, as Ryan, Ciro and Peterson tried to hold down the middle of the pitch. With lots of balls coming down the right hand side with Adam chasing them down, Cameron Road scored their fourth in impressive fashion. The fluid move started off on the right with Adam gliding past his marker and flicking the ball to Chappy who just got a touch on the ball before a defender sent him to the ground. His flick looped over another defender and into the path of Gianluca, who headed the ball on a rainbow arc that looped over the keepers outstretched hands. To quote Ryan Willis, “that was some soccer.” And with that, Gianluca finally earned some reward for all his efforts and attempts on goal over the past month, and Cameron Road pushed their lead back to 2 goals.

As Champion continued to fight (and push) to get back into the game, Cameron Road had several more chances to score. Dermot weaved his way into the box on several occasions, Chappy f’ed up two more chances with a wide shot and a header just over the bar from a great Gianluca cross, but it was Chris Peterson who would again show his class in his return with the 5th goal of the afternoon. With much of the play running down the right hand side, Chris got played in and sent a 20 yard side footed shot into the back of the net to round out his afternoon with 2 assists and a goal.

Far from over, Champion actually brought another goal back with a dubious P/K that Jay nearly got a hand on.

Just to show the extent of their will to win, Billy walked away from a two-footed cleats to the chest turtle kick after he brought down an onrushing Champion attacker. You know things are going well for Cameron Road when Billy laughs off such an ambush and instead keeps his cool.

So as their win streak ballooned to an impressive 5 games, Cameron Road will face a tough game next week with a 4:00pm showdown with the Mary Kay boys – who have suffered three straight weeks of heckling from the post-game tent crew. Should be one not to miss.

Man-of-the-Match: Chris Peterson was on fire in his first game back from a calf injury with 2 assists and a goal, mostly from the right wing. Great play from the CRU #10.

Man-of-the-Post-Match: Andy Michaelis may have sat out the entire 2nd half, but he used that time wisely by plotting a perfect attack on Chappy with a post game shower of glacier-like ice and water from his 50 gallon ice chest. Your reporters fingers are still numb while typing this.